players

There were some breakdowns before UCLA broke training camp.

Don’t worry, these were the poignant, bring-everyone-together kind.

As part of coach DeShaun Foster’s efforts to connect a team featuring 55 new players and eight new assistant coaches, everyone participated in a series of brotherhood meetings over the last two weeks at the team hotel in Costa Mesa.

Coaches stood before the entire team, sharing anecdotes about their experiences in the game. Players told their stories in more intimate position-group settings run by a coach from a different position.

“A lot of tears,” Foster said Saturday before his team’s final camp session. “So I just like that the players were being vulnerable and letting their guard down because they saw the coaches do it. So, you know, I just think that really brought us together and we’re gonna see if it worked.”

One of the more stirring stories came from tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel, the former Bruins quarterback. Neuheisel talked about his anxiety after leading UCLA to a come-from-behind 20-17 road victory over Texas in 2014. He had come off the bench to replace injured starter Brett Hundley.

Foster said Neuheisel relayed how he was “kind of nervous just for another opportunity to happen and not being as successful the next time, you know? So that was huge because you would have never thought that with Jerry with how he is as a person.”

Offensive line coach Andy Kwon told players that regardless of the situation, they needed to finish what they started.

“Nobody cares if you’re tired, nobody cares if you’re hurting, nobody cares if you have an injury that’s pushable,” guard Julian Armella said. “Like, you can keep going, therefore you have to have a mentality each and every single day that you know that there’s going to be somebody that lines up across from you that wants your position, that wants to take the food off your family’s plate to be able to go and provide for theirs.

“So, I think just having that mentality of being able to finish, come out each day — whether it be recovery, whether it be in the classroom, off the classroom, on the field — all of these things build up in order to have that finish mentality.”

Offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri’s message — stop thinking about what other people think about you and focus on yourself — resonated with veteran tight end Hudson Habermehl.

“You don’t want to let others’ input affect you,” Habermehl said, “because at the end of the day, all we have is each other.”

The collective mindset has resulted in a new motto for 2025: We over me.

Back at it

UCLA tight end Hudson Habermehl smiles after a touchdown catch against Boise State in the L.A. Bowl in December 2023.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

As soon as he went down in the spring of 2024, his anguished screams carrying across the practice field, Habermehl had one thought running through his mind.

Am I going to be able to play again?

His coach running over to check on the player who had just torn his anterior cruciate ligament, Habermehl repeatedly yelled five words that reflected his love for the game.

“I just want to play!” he said. “I just want to play!”

Some 15 months later, a rehabilitation that included plenty of doubts and a second surgery to clean up debris in his knee finished, Habermehl is on the verge of completing his comeback.

“It really made me step back and think,” Habermehl said, “how bad do I really want it?”

A lot, it turned out.

Along the way, he had more than a little help from his friends. Teammates and coaches constantly checked in on him and drove him to rehabilitation appointments at a time when he couldn’t put any weight on his leg for two months. Former UCLA linebacker Josh Woods, who persevered through his own devastating knee injury, was especially helpful in offering advice, telling Habermehl that he would learn a lot about himself during his recovery.

A symbolic change came over winter break when Habermehl trimmed his long, flowing locks, leading to a much more streamlined look. Foster had to check with another coach to ask who Habermehl was after walking past him in the weight room.

“He comes up and he’s like, ‘Huddy?’ ” Habermehl said. “And I was like, ‘What up?’ He’s like, ‘I didn’t even recognize you. I thought you were an alum.’ ”

Calling his new hairstyle “aerodynamic,” Habermehl looked incredibly sleek while making one of the highlight plays of camp when he sprinted to the corner of the end zone to make a leaping catch. He figures to be the team’s top tight end during a final college season that will also make him possibly the most educated player on the team.

Having completed a bachelor’s degree in geography and environmental studies, he’s also earned master’s degrees in legal studies and transformative coaching and leadership. This fall he’s taking extension classes in project management, though he conceded maybe he’s lost an opportunity.

“If you had told me I was going to be here this long, I would have started the doctorate right away,” Habermehl quipped. “You could call me Dr. Habermehl.”

Etc.

Safety Key Lawrence returned to individual practice drills Saturday, one week after suffering an apparent right leg injury. Foster said Lawrence would be eased back into practices. … UCLA will hold a mock game open to the public on Aug. 23 at the Rose Bowl. Foster said it was intended to help the team’s newcomers experience the logistics of a game one week before the season opener against Utah. … Foster confirmed that the team’s new grass practice field would not be ready for the resumption of on-campus practices next week, forcing it to use Drake Stadium. The team will shift to the intramural fields, which feature artificial turf, ahead of its Sept. 6 game at Nevada Las Vegas to prepare for the same playing surface inside Allegiant Stadium. … UCLA’s weight room renovations have been completed, Foster said, providing more modern equipment and better spacing.

Injury have hit the Chargers hard in training camp.

From minor setbacks sidelining Mekhi Becton and Ladd McConkey for multiple practices, to the severe, with Najee Harris’ return date still a mystery and Rashawn Slater out for the season.

Out of an abundance of caution, coach Jim Harbaugh once again said veteran starters won’t play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.

For rookies such as KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Nikko Reed, it’s a chance to build on the promise they showed in last week’s preseason debuts.

It will be the first direct comparison between Taylor Heinicke and Trey Lance, who are in an unexpected backup quarterback battle.

And Trey Pipkins III will get much-needed reps at right tackle as the offensive line undergoes a reshuffle.

Battle at backup quarterback

Chargers quarterback Taylor Heinicke (8) hands off to running back Gus Edwards during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 22.

(Matt Freed / Associated Press)

After bouncing around three teams in five seasons, Lance showed flashes of why he was once a No. 3 overall pick.

His strong performance in the Hall of Fame Game — 120 yards and two touchdowns — earned him the coaching staff’s trust to compete for the backup quarterback spot alongside Heinicke.

“He’s a guy that is really diligent with his preparation,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. “He definitely afforded himself well. … Confidence is only gained in this league on the field, and he should be confident.”

Last season, Heinicke served as the primary backup behind Justin Herbert, joining the Chargers from the Atlanta Falcons for a seventh-round pick, a concerted move to add depth after last year’s lackluster backup quarterback competition.

Though Heinicke, who re-signed in the offseason, appears to have a leg up, Lance will have the chance throughout the preseason to prove he can be a capable backup. The Chargers plan to play Heinicke during the first two series Sunday — his preseason debut — before Lance takes over for the rest of the game.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith moving up

Chargers receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith catches a pass during a preseason game against the Detroit Lions on July 31 in Canton, Ohio.

(Kirk Irwin / Associated Press)

As training camp unfolds, the Chargers may have unearthed a diamond in the rough with fifth-round pick KeAndre Lambert-Smith, the 21st wide receiver selected in the draft.

Roman raved about Lambert-Smith’s body type, speed, smooth movements and instinct for tracking the ball. Those traits have quickly led to chemistry with Herbert, resulting in more targets with each practice.

Despite drawing only two targets in his preseason debut, he made the most of them — hauling in a 28-yard reception and turning a 15-yard slant into a touchdown.

“He’s not just a one-trick pony, down-the-field guy — he’s really impressed me,” Roman said. “He’s gotten a lot better with his route running. There’s still a long way to go, but he’s on that trajectory.”

Trey Pipkins III’s move to right tackle

Chargers tackle Trey Pipkins III lines up to block against the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 5.

(Abbie Parr / Associated Press)

With Joe Alt sliding into the left tackle spot, Pipkins moves into a starting role on the opposite side after entering camp as a swing tackle, preparing for a scenario no one — including Pipkins — had hoped to see.

Harbaugh expressed confidence in the veteran — who started the preseason opener at left tackle and will now switch to right tackle — saying, “He really is one of our best guys.”

During his career, Pipkins has logged just over 3,000 snaps and started 41 games at tackle, a move he is comfortable with.

“His best position is tackle, and that move was made earlier this offseason,” Harbaugh added. “I have all the confidence in the world in Trey.”

Caleb Murphy’s drive

Chargers linebacker Caleb Murphy runs after the ball during a preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Thursday in Canton, Ohio.

(Kirk Irwin / Associated Press)

From the opening kickoff this preseason, Murphy’s influence has been immediate.

A special teamer trying to earn defensive snaps, Murphy sprinted downfield on the first play and forced a fumble, setting up the Chargers in scoring position. On defense, he showcased his pass-rushing ability, finishing with three tackles, including one for a loss.

In his second training camp with the team, the former undrafted free agent is growing comfortable in the defensive scheme, according to defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

Minter says the “arrow is pointing up” for Murphy in a competitive room that also features fourth-round pick Kyle Kennard and second-year player Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, all vying for the fourth edge rusher spot.

Nikko Reed’s battle

Chargers cornerback Nikko Reed returns an interception during a preseason game against the Detroit Lions on July 31 in Canton, Ohio.

(Kirk Irwin / Associated Press)

With returning cornerbacks Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart and Ja’Sir Taylor — plus free-agent additions Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste — the odds are slim for an undrafted rookie to break into the rotation.

But Nikko Reed, the former Oregon Duck who has gone from virtual unknown to making high-impact coverage plays almost daily, is trying to beat the odds. His execution has translated from practice into a preseason game, with a near 60-yard pick-six last week.

“He’s definitely got a knack for making those types of plays,” Minter said.

Minter now wants to see if Reed can “take that next step” and consistently be that player — “doing that in practice, doing that in a couple more games.”

Doug Bledsoe has made the rounds as a high school football coach. He’s been head coach at North Hollywood, Dorsey, Pasadena and University. He says his latest coaching position will be his last until his 3-year-old grandson reaches high school.

It’s going to be his most challenging, trying to rebuild a Narbonne program that once again had an exodus of players and coaches after rule violations caused the City Section to impose a three-year playoff ban and make the program vacate its City title. This also happened in 2019 and the team dropped to 2-9 during a similar transition year in 2021.

Bledsoe insists, “The Narbonne Gauchos ain’t dead.”

He has four returning all-league players, including King’leon Sheard, a defensive end who had two sacks in last season’s City Section Open Division final won by the Gauchos. They chose to stay even though there will be no playoffs when the 10-game regular season ends.

“They love the school,” Bledsoe said. “We told them what we could do for them.”

There’s about 30 varsity players. Bledsoe is confident he and his staff can prepare his many new varsity players for the season ahead. Playing 10 games will be better than the eight games played last season when Marine League coaches boycotted playing the Gauchos, resulting in the loss of four games.

A new coach and a new principal give the Gauchos a chance to start over. The harsh penalty imposed also could be reduced with good behavior. One sign of the dramatic change in a year’s time is that the Gauchos had 27 transfers in the football program a year ago. There are currently none in the City Section transfer portal for this season.

The starting quarterback will be basketball point guard Quamare Meadows, who was the JV quarterback two seasons ago but didn’t play last season.

Narbonne opens on the road against Los Osos on Aug. 22. It will play its first league game in two seasons against runner-up San Pedro on Oct. 3.

Nine players from treble-winning Paris Saint-Germain have been nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or this year, along with the club’s coach Luis Enrique, as France Football announced its list of nominees.

Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha are all on the list of 30 players nominated on Thursday for the big prize.

Dembele scored 35 goals and claimed 16 assists in all competitions as PSG won the Ligue 1 title, French Cup and Champions League and were Club World Cup runners-up to Chelsea.

Other nominees include Barcelona’s Raphinha (34 goals, 25 assists), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (34 goals, 23 assists), who was named Premier League Player of the Season, and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (34 goals, five assists).

Scott McTominay, who won Serie A’s Most Valuable Player after guiding Napoli to the title, was also nominated as the first Scotsman in 38 years to make the shortlist. Barca’s Lamine Yamal (18 goals, 25 assists) made the cut while the 18-year-old winger was also nominated for the Kopa Trophy for best Under-21 player, an award he won last year.

Five England players were nominated for the women’s Ballon d’Or after their Euros triumph, including goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson.

Marta, who came out of retirement to lead Brazil to the women’s Copa America title at the age of 39, was also nominated. Along with Luis Enrique, Enzo Maresca, who guided Chelsea to the Club World Cup title, and Liverpool’s Arne Slot, who won the Premier League crown in his first season at the club, were nominated for the men’s Coach of the Year award.

Spanish midfielders Rodri and Aitana Bonmati are the current holders of the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or awards, respectively.

The former spent most of last season injured with Manchester City, while Bonmati was a defeated finalist at Euro 2025 as England overcame Spain.

The women’s coach nominees are led by Sonia Bompastor, who won a domestic treble at Chelsea, Renee Slegers, who took Arsenal to their second Champions League crown, and Sarina Wiegman, after she helped England retain their Euros title.

Ballon d’Or nominations in full

Men: Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue, Denzel Dumfries, Serhou Guirassy, Viktor Gyokeres, Erling Haaland, Achraf Hakimi, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Robert Lewandowski, Alexis Mac Allister, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Scott McTominay, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Michael Olise, Cole Palmer, Pedri, Raphinha, Declan Rice, Fabian Ruiz, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Vinicius Jr, Vitinha, Florian Wirtz, Lamine Yamal

Women: Sandy Baltimore, Barbra Banda, Aitana Bonmati, Lucy Bronze, Klara Buehl, Mariona Caldentey, Sofia Cantore, Steph Catley, Temwa Chawinga, Melchie Dumornay, Emily Fox, Cristiana Girelli, Esther Gonzalez, Caroline Graham Hansen, Hannah Hampton, Pernille Harder, Patri Guijarro, Amanda Gutierres, Lindsey Heaps, Chloe Kelly, Frida Leonhardsen-Maanum, Marta, Clara Mateo, Ewa Pajor, Claudia Pina, Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Caroline Weir, Leah Williamson

Men’s coach of the year: Antonio Conte, Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick, Enzo Maresca, Arne Slot

Women’s coach of the year: Sonia Bompastor, Arthur Elias, Justine Madugu, Renee Slegers, Sarina Wiegman

Men’s club of the year: Barcelona, Botafogo, Chelsea, Liverpool, Paris St Germain

Women’s club of the year: Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, OL Lyonnes, Orlando Pride

Yashin trophy men: Alisson Becker, Yassine Bounou, Lucas Chevalier, Thibaut Courtois, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Emi Martinez, Jan Oblak, David Raya, Matz Sels, Yann Sommer

Yashin trophy women: Ann-Katrin Berger, Cata Coll, Hannah Hampton, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Daphne van Domselaar

Men’s Kopa Trophy: Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pau Cubarsi, Desire Doue, Estevao, Dean Huijsen, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Rodrigo Mora, Joao Neves, Lamine Yamal, Kenan Yildiz

Women’s Kopa Trophy: Michelle Agyemang, Linda Caicedo, Wieke Kaptein, Vicky Lopez, Claudia Martinez Ovando

The association also claims the governance of snooker “should factor in more of the views of the players”.

It has vowed to foster a “collaborative relationship” with the sport’s authorities, including the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the existing WPBSA Players’ Board, and World Snooker Tour “to enhance the sport’s future, while safeguarding player welfare and commercial interests”.

The PSPA says it has established a players board comprising of Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson, Stuart Bingham, Jack Lisowski, Stephen Maguire, Mark Allen, Ryan Day and Joe Perry. Another player – Matthew Selt – has been appointed a director, alongside lawyers Ben Rees and Mark Kenkre.

The association also claims that seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has agreed to become a member, along with Chinese stars Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong.

“I’ve had lots of discussions with Ronnie” said Higgins. “He’s really excited about it, so it’s full steam ahead.”

The fact so many of the top players are behind the new body suggests some feel they do not have enough say in the running of the World Snooker Tour (WST), particularly the commercial side.

During the 2024 World Championship, the headlines at the Crucible were dominated by talk of a potential breakaway tour. This came after the game’s top players were approached to play in lucrative events in China and North America as part of a potential breakaway circuit.

Professional players sign a contract which does not allow them to compete in any outside events while WST tournaments are being played, unless they are events sanctioned by the WST, although players have recently negotiated more flexibility.

However, the WST has been increasing the amount of prize money in the game, and is preparing to stage the sport’s “fourth major” in Saudi Arabia with a prize pot of more than £2m. The second Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will take place later this week in Jeddah.

The WPBSA’s own players’ body was formed in 2020, and the governing body says it has “a specific mandate to act in the collective best interest of members in relation to welfare and issues affecting the professional game.”

It says that it “acts as a channel for member concerns and provides a platform whereby issues surrounding their wellbeing can be raised at the highest levels by the WPBSA Players Board.”

The PSPA says it has been formed with expert guidance from leading sports law professionals, and that its key objectives include legal and commercial support to protect players’ rights in sponsorship, broadcasting, and contractual matters.

“A seismic legal confrontation between players and Fifa.”

The view of former Fulham midfielder-turned-lawyer Udo Onwere when asked to assess the significance of the compensation claim launched against Fifa this week on behalf of current and former professional footballers over transfer rules.

On Monday, Dutch foundation Justice for Players (JFP) said it had started a class action lawsuit against the sport’s world governing body, along with the football associations of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.

It argues that 100,000 footballers playing in Europe since 2002 could have lost income as a result of “unlawful” Fifa regulations, and that “preliminary analysis” shows that damages could amount to several billion pounds.

The case is the result of last year’s ruling by the highest European court that Fifa regulations over some football transfers broke EU laws.

In October, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) found in favour of former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra after he argued some of the rules restricted his freedom of movement and breached competition law, and sued Fifa.

“This class action could rewrite the rules governing player mobility across the global football industry” says Onwere, who is now a partner at law firm Bray and Krais.

“What distinguishes this case from previous skirmishes with the governing body is its sheer scale and complexity… The outcome of this litigation could usher in a new era of transfer regulations and governance – one where contractual stability is balanced with player autonomy.

“It could prove to be as transformational as the landmark 1995 Bosman ruling.”

Such a comparison is notable, because JFP is being advised by Diarra’s Belgian lawyer Jean-Louis Dupont, who also won the landmark 1995 case at the CJEU on behalf of ex-player Jean-Marc Bosman.

That ruling dramatically changed the sport, meaning footballers could choose to run down their contracts and move clubs on a free transfer, with teams no longer able to demand compensation for out-of-contract players.

Thirty years on, some now believe this latest case could result in players being able to terminate their own contracts, without paying compensation, before those deals come to an end.

BBC Sport has been told that Fifa has until the start of September to respond to the threat of legal action.

With red welts scattered like landmarks of the war she’d just waged, Kelsey Plum let the microphone have it.

“I drive more than anyone in the league,” the Sparks guard said, voice taut. “So to shoot six free throws is f— absurd. And I got scratches on my face, I got scratches on my body, and these guards on the other teams get these ticky-tack fouls, and I’m sick of it.”

Plum played 41 minutes during an overtime loss to the Golden State Valkyries, during which she was awarded those six free throws. She is one of many WNBA players, coaches and fans who have vented frustration over what they see as inconsistent and unreliable officiating this season.

Yet, within the walls of the league’s officiating office, there is steadfast belief that referees are doing their jobs well.

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon questions a referee’s call during the game against the Sparks at Crypto.com Arena on July 29.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“Overall, I’m very pleased with the work this year,” said Monty McCutchen, the head of referee training and development for all NBA leagues.

But McCutchen and Sue Blauch, who oversees WNBA referee performance and development, aren’t blind to the backlash — acknowledging “some high-profile misses that we need to own on our end.”

To do so, they pointed to an officiating analysis program through which 95% of games are watched live, with every play graded by internal and independent reviewers. Those evaluations are used to chart each referee’s performance over time.

Teams can flag up to 30 plays for review per game through a league portal — including isolated calls or themes spanning multiple games. League officials respond with rulings on each clip and compile curated playlists by call type, delivering them directly to the referees.

“There’s no shortage of feedback,” McCutchen said.

But the WNBA’s structural backbone of officiating differs from the NBA in significant ways. With just 35 referees, all of whom moonlight calling NCAA or G League games, the WNBA relies on part-timers earning $1,538 per game as rookies, with each official calling 20 to 34 contests per season.

“You’re working three very different kinds of basketball,” said Jacob Tingle, director of sport management at Trinity University who has conducted research on officiating networks and pathways. “The reason the NBA or MLB works is because that’s all you do — you’re working the same kind of game only.”

The WNBA lacks a centralized replay center, a developmental league to groom talent and shuffles crew combinations from game to game — a patchwork system that can strain referees expected to deliver consistency.

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum questions the official’s out-of-bounds call during a game against the Las Vegas Aces at Crypto.com Arena on July 29.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“When you don’t have group cohesion, you don’t have the same level of trust in your partners,” said David Hancock, a professor who studies the psychology of sports officiating. “We’ve done one study — when referees felt more connected to their group, they also felt they performed better.”

McCutchen said teams get a verdict on the calls they send for review. But beyond that, there’s no insight into grading or transparency about patterns the league has researched. So when it seems a whistle has been swallowed during a game, players and coaches are left searching for consistency.

“You don’t know in the WNBA anymore,” said Joshua Jackson, a Louisiana State University professor who studies media and athlete perception. “I can’t tell when I’m watching a game exactly what this foul call is going to be. I’ll hear the whistle and think, ‘OK, maybe it’s a reach-in and then suddenly it’s a view for a flagrant one instead? Wait, how did we get here?’”

The whistle has become one of the WNBA’s biggest wild cards. Angel Reese called it “diabolical.” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after a fourth-quarter letdown led to a loss that the game was “stolen from us.” Belgian guard Julie Allemand told The Times she felt more “protected” playing in EuroBasket. And Napheesa Collier, one of the stars of the 2025 season, warned “it’s getting worse.”

The whistle, or lack thereof, might echo louder in 2026, when the WNBA begins a $2.2-billion, 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon and NBCUniversal — each of whom will air more than 125 games a year across TV and streaming networks.

Nicole LaVoi, who helms the Tucker Center — a research hub focused on advocating for girls and women in sports — said the narrative surrounding female athletes forces them to walk a tightrope: speak up and risk being dismissed as an emotional woman or stay quiet and let the league’s image unravel.

“This is a broader, contextual, systemic issue,” LaVoi said. “It’s not just about bad refs making bad calls. This is a much larger problem within a system where women’s sport has been undervalued and underappreciated for decades.”

Many players have ignored concerns about the perception they whine too much about officiating, arguing the inconsistency in calls is dangerous.

Lucas Seehafer, a professor and kinesiologist at Medical University of South Carolina who tracks WNBA injuries, said players have suffered 173 injuries this season and missed 789 games, entering Saturday’s games.

Sparks forward Cameron Brink reacts toward an official after no foul was called after the ball was stripped from her as she was driving to the basket at Crypto.com Arena on July 29.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Injuries are undoubtedly multifactorial, Seehafer said. Still, inconsistent whistles can leave players unsure of how much contact to expect — forcing them into unfamiliar movements or hesitation. And that can lend itself to awkward landings, a key contributor in lower-extremity injuries.

“The athletes strive on consistency and mechanical efficiency,” said Nirav Pandya, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at UC San Francisco. “When you don’t know how much contact’s going to be allowed, it does throw off that rhythm, which increases your injury risk.”

When Caitlin Clark suffered a groin injury in mid-July, her brother — in a now-deleted X post — blamed the officials for letting too much contact slide.

“People go watch the WNBA because of the talent,” LaVoi said, “and when the talent is sitting on the bench, that’s not very exciting to fans.”

While critics are quick to call out officiating, referees are navigating a structure stretched thin.

Brenda Hilton, founder of Officially Human — an organization dedicated to improving the treatment of sports officials — said 70%-80% of officials quit within their first three years, largely due to online abuse.

“The people that are doing the work are people, they are fallible,” LaVoi said. “The players are fallible as well, so are the coaches. So can we get back some compassion for the humanity of the people doing it, and appreciate the fact that they love what they do? They’re not doing it because they’re getting huge NIL deals and branding opportunities.”

NBA and WNBA officiating leaders have not announced any plans for changes to their system, so the stress will probably continue among players, coaches, fans and those who control the whistles.

Shakira Austin didn’t realize how important fashion would become when she entered the WNBA in 2022.

Her introduction to game-day tunnel fashion began at the University of Mississippi in 2020.

“My school started doing their own tunnel fits,” she said. “It was cute, but I definitely didn’t know [the WNBA tunnel walk was] as popping and as big as it is now.”

During the last few years, college and WNBA social media teams have photographed players walking into arenas and to their locker rooms on game day. Tunnel walk fashion now quickly spreads on social media on game days.

The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese poses on the orange carpet during WNBA All Star Game week in Indianapolis.

(Darron Cummings / Associated Press)

What started as a social media trend that fans enjoyed has become a high-profile chance for WNBA players to show off their personal style and potentially land endorsement deals. A Vogue article published last season declared that “The WNBA Tunnel Is Officially a Fashion Destination.”

Austin has adapted to the spotlight and says she enjoys expressing herself through clothing.

“It gives a little bit of a model essence,” Austin said. “You go through, you pick out your fit for the day, and all cameras are on you, so it’s definitely a nice little highlight off the court before you start to lock in for the game.”

Now in her fourth year with the Washington Mystics, Austin’s sense of style is fully her own.

Without much styling advice from teammates as a rookie, she leaned on her passion for creativity and beauty to guide her looks.

“I’ve just always liked to express myself through beauty — from either masculine or feminine looks,” she said.

At 6 foot 5, Austin has had to work with limited clothing options.

“Being that I am a tall girl, it’s kind of hard to find clothes, so repeating stuff is a big deal for me,” she said. “Also, just making [the outfit] a different vibe each time.”

The Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers poses on the orange carpet during a WNBA All-Star Game event in Indianapolis.

(Darron Cummings / Associated Press)

Connecticut Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa didn’t get comfortable until she partnered with stylist Kristine Anigwe, a former WNBA player and owner of KA Creative Consulting.

“Figuring out, ‘OK, this is my style, this is what I actually like and enjoy wearing. How can I put it together in something that is comfortable and makes me feel confident?’” Nelson-Ododa said.

She describes being a “serial pieces repeater,” choosing to mix and match rather than follow trends.

“Honestly, it’s fashion, there’s like no rules to it.”

Off the court, fashion is now a way for her to show different sides of herself beyond her basketball identity.

“We already have an amazing job like this, and being able to add on by showing ourselves in a different light is super fun,” she said.

Although she doesn’t have the biggest interest in fashion, Sparks center Azura Stevens has seen tunnel fashion evolve into something much bigger.

The Sparks’ Rickea Jackson poses on the orange carpet during a WNBA All-Star Game event in Indianapolis.

(Darron Cummings / Associated Press)

“It’s cool to put together different fits, kind of show your personality through style,” she said. “I am kind of used to it now — it’s just a part of the game-day routine.”

During her time in the league, fashion has become a natural part of the culture.

“It has become a really big thing for it to be like runways almost before the game. It’s a part of the culture now of the [league],” she said.

Stevens’ teammate, veteran forward Dearica Hamby, has had a career full of fashion transitions since she entered the league in 2015 when fashion wasn’t a major part of the WNBA culture.

“Mine has changed over the course of the years,” she said. “For me, I’m sometimes business-like, but overall just really well put together.”

Hamby credits her time with the Las Vegas Aces as the moment she saw the shift.

“I kind of feel like my time in Vegas is when it really took off. We had a really talented photographer who was able to capture our fits,” she said.

Hamby is still learning what works best for her style. One thing she’s noticed: how an outfit looks in a photo matters.

“Sometimes things don’t photograph well, and that’s what I am starting to learn,” she said. “It could look good in person, but it doesn’t necessarily photograph well, so you wanna wear things that are cut and crisp.”

As tunnel walk content grows on social media, so can critiques of players and their outfit choices.

“I’ve definitely gotten flamed before for certain outfits,” Nelson-Ododa said. “Some people are not fans and some people are fans. I really don’t care, as long as it feels good on me, I’m fine.”

“You definitely know that eyes are going to see, and you’re going to be talked about — whether it’s a positive view or negative view,” Hamby said.

What matters most to Hamby is the feeling behind the fit: “Just remind yourself that if you feel good and you feel like you look good in it, that’s all that matters.”

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY’S final pre-season match has been cancelled after players refused to play, according to reports.

The Owls are in crisis just 10 days before their Championship opener, with manager Danny Rohl having walked out this week.

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THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

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Trial that sparked debate over culture of sexual assault in Canadian hockey ends after judge says allegations not ‘credible’.

A Canadian judge has found that five former members of the country’s 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey team are not guilty of sexual assault, following a trial that roiled Canada.

Judge Maria Carroccia told a courtroom on Thursday that she did not find allegations of assault against the five men “credible or reliable”, according to Canada’s CBC News.

A lawyer for the complainant said the justice system had fallen short in both the way her client was treated on the stand and the conclusions drawn by the judge.

“She’s obviously very disappointed with the verdict and very disappointed with Her Honour’s assessment of her honesty and reliability,” said Karen Bellehumeur, a lawyer for the complainant who is only known as EM due to a prohibition on publicising her identity. “She’s really never experienced not being believed like this before.”

The allegations of misconduct prompted debate over the culture of sexual assault within Canadian hockey, a favourite pastime of the North American country. But it also drew attention to the sceptical eye that authorities often cast on alleged victims.

Carroccia’s statement that she did not find evidence from the woman who was allegedly assaulted reliable prompted gasps in the courtroom, CBC reported.

All five men – Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart and Cal Foote – denied wrongdoing, stating that the alleged victim, EM, was a willing participant in sex acts at a hotel in London, Ontario, in 2018, following a team celebration.

The judge seemed to accept that claim, saying that the complainant had failed to establish that the encounter was “vitiated by fear”. She also said that the woman had a “tendency to blame others” when presented with inconsistencies in her memory of the night.

“Justice Carroccia’s carefully reasoned decision represents a resounding vindication for Mr McLeod and for his co-defendants,” said McLeod’s lawyer, David Humphrey.

Two previous juries in the case were dismissed, resulting in a trial where a single judge rendered a verdict.

The CEO of Hockey Canada and the organisation’s entire board of directors stepped down in October 2022 amid scrutiny of the alleged gang rape and an out-of-court settlement with the accuser.

SAN DIEGO — As the Chargers’ team bus rolled down the freeway past Poway and toward San Diego, Tony Jefferson couldn’t help but smile.

This feels like home.

Eight years after the Chargers left San Diego, the organization is reintroducing itself to the city with two days of training camp this week. Fans who couldn’t secure tickets to practice at the University of San Diego on Tuesday still clamored for a glimpse from the top of a nearby hill. Jefferson, a San Diego native who grew up rooting for the Chargers, has been happy to see the support grow after the franchise’s contentious departure.

“With any sports team that leaves the city, [fans] feel empty when it comes to that spot,” said Jefferson, who signed with the Chargers last year. “But I think we’re gradually filling that void back.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s numerous ties to San Diego and instantaneous winning appeared to smooth out a potential reunion with the city. When team executives approached him about returning to San Diego for training camp, the coach eagerly agreed. He suggested the University of San Diego campus, where he got his head coaching start in 2004 for the Toreros.

More than two decades later, this week’s practices are a homecoming for Harbaugh, but it’s not an olive branch for the Chargers organization, he insisted.

“It is all about the great fans we have,” Harbaugh said in June. “We want to go to our fans. We want to go to our Chargers supporters and they’re everywhere.”

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh instructs players during training camp in San Diego on Tuesday.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

Although the Chargers returned this week, they didn’t throw the doors open to all fans. Both of their practices were limited in attendance. Tuesday’s practice was open to only active-duty military and veterans. Wednesday’s is reserved for season ticket holders.

Players signed autographs for almost an hour after practice Tuesday. Quarterback Justin Herbert looped back twice in front of a swath of fans that ran three bus-lengths long. Safety Derwin James Jr., who never played in San Diego after getting drafted in 2018, was in awe of all the No. 3 jerseys he saw in the crowd.

“It made my heart warm just having so much support,” James said. “I can’t wait to give them something to cheer for.”

Harbaugh’s history as a player has helped the Chargers tap back into their roots while celebrating their most iconic players. The coach who played two seasons for the Chargers called former teammate Rodney Harrison to inform the safety that he would be inducted into the Chargers’ Hall of Fame in October. Legendary tight end Antonio Gates will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in less than two weeks. Five years after playing the final season of his 17-year career with the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Philip Rivers reversed course to put a more fitting punctuation mark on his career by announcing Monday that he would officially retire as a Charger.

Doubling down on the nostalgia, the Chargers unveiled throwback alternative navy jerseys that were a hit among players and fans. Seeing the navy uniform with gold-lined white lightning bolts “struck me at the core,” Jefferson said. It was just like the first NFL jersey he owned: a Junior Seau jersey he received for Christmas.

The Chargers were at the center of almost all of Jefferson’s core NFL memories growing up. He sat in the nosebleeds with his girlfriend at his first NFL game between the Chargers and Raiders. He played his last high school football game for Chula Vista Eastlake High in Qualcomm Stadium.

Chargers running back Omarion Hampton runs through a drill during training camp in San Diego on Tuesday.

(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)

But the stadium grew outdated, prompting the Chargers to relocate. Now when Jefferson drives south on Interstate 15, he still hates looking to his right because he misses the familiar venue.

“This type of stuff just happens,” Jefferson said. “It happened to the Raiders. They’re our rival and they’re pretty big in what they represent organization-wise and they moved, too. It’s just the business.”

The Padres are the only remaining major pro sports team in San Diego and the city pride runs deep. When the Chargers celebrated the Dodgers’ World Series title last year, die-hard Padres fan Jefferson recoiled at the sight of a floor-to-ceiling congratulatory message in the Chargers practice facility.

But with no pro football in the city, Jefferson, who still lives in San Diego, tries to remind fans that this team is still the Chargers.

“Us just being two hours away, SoFi is a perfect venue for fans, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have the San Diego fans,” Jefferson said. “I think coming here is just opening up the arms again and letting them know.”

Etc.

Rashawn Slater missed a third consecutive day of practice and is “working through something,” Harbaugh said. The coach characterized the undisclosed injury as minor, tip-toeing around suggestions that Slater is trying to wait out negotiations for a contract extension. … The Chargers signed running back Nyheim Hines to bolster a position that is still waiting for Najee Harris’ return. Harris remains on the non-football injury list after suffering an eye injury from a fireworks accident, but has been attending team meetings. While signing Hines, the Chargers waived offensive lineman Savion Washington with a failed physical designation. Washington was on the physically unable to perform list.

ATLANTA — In 2021, Times columnist Bill Plaschke incurred the wrath of Atlanta by blaspheming the entertainment district surrounding the Braves’ ballpark as a “sterile shopping mall.” The district, called The Battery, prefers the grand descriptor of “the South’s preeminent lifestyle destination.”

Let’s take a walk around The Battery, so you can understand why it could become one of the flash points in the coming holy war between owners and players.

If you leave the ballpark through the right-field gates, you are in The Battery. You’ll see a plaza in front of you, and around you places to ride a mechanical bull, go bowling, navigate an escape room or take in a concert.

You can eat, drink, shop, dance, stay in a hotel. You can live here, in apartments above the storefronts. You can work here, in office towers housing corporate giants.

“To create an environment where you can spend eight, nine hours at The Battery and the field, and still feel like you have all the time in the world, I think they’ve done a wonderful job building this place,” Dodgers and former Braves All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman said.

The Braves built all this, not only to lure fans to come early and stay late on game days but to make money from the property 365 days a year rather than 81. On that front, it is a spectacular success: Nine million people come here each year, and the Braves generated $67 million in revenue from The Battery last year.

This, according to major league officials, is the template for the modern team. The Angels had planned a ballpark village twice as large as The Battery. Imagine what the Dodgers could build, and how much revenue they could generate, on property twice as large as the Angel Stadium site.

And, speaking of revenue, Rob Manfred has something he likes to say to players about it. The MLB commissioner spoke at the Braves’ Investor Day last month and said he tells players that their share of the sport’s revenue has dropped from 63% in 2002 to 47% today.

Baseball is the only major sport in America without a salary cap system, in which owners agree to spend a designated percentage of revenue on player salaries.

“If we had made a deal 10 years ago to share 50-50, you would’ve made $2.5 billion more than you made,” Manfred said he has told players, in comments first reported by Sports Business Journal.

The players and their union rolled their collective eyes at those comments. It is no secret that many owners want a salary cap, and the cost certainty that comes with it.

“It’s all tactics,” Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith said. “It’s all early negotiating stuff.”

Said Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll: “Owners don’t want to put money in our pockets. For them to emphasize how we need this so much, there’s a reason for that.”

Tony Clark, the union’s executive director, said the revenue numbers the league shares with the union are not consistent with Manfred’s statements. And, when you consider a percentage of revenue, you have to define what counts as revenue: What goes into the pool to be shared with players?

Tony Clark, executive director of the MLB players’ union.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

So let’s go back to The Battery, and to the revenue opportunities that such ballpark villages create for teams.

A report released in April by Klutch Sports, the Los Angeles-based agency, called such villages “the sports industry’s $100+ billion growth engine,” particularly as media revenue wanes. Within the pitch to team owners: Those villages “generate attractive financial returns that stand outside of league revenue sharing requirements.”

Translation: You can make all these millions without sharing any of it with the players.

The Braves are building here because the team plays here. That is the new issue looming over the next round of collective bargaining: If a team builds around its ballpark, should that revenue be shared with players?

“Oh yeah,” Athletics All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker said. “Revenue is just any dollar that teams bring in that ultimately could be turned around and used to put a better product on the field. It’s got to include tickets, TV, concessions, all the things around the stadium. It’s got to include all of it.”

Is the money a team makes from renting office space outside the ballpark really relevant to the team?

Here’s what Braves president and chief executive Derek Schiller told ESPN about The Battery: “You’ve got a whole other set of revenues from the real estate development that can then be deployed for the baseball team.”

I asked Clark whether, if negotiations turn to the possibility of revenue sharing along the lines Manfred discussed, the money from ballpark villages needs to be part of the conversation.

“Yes,” Clark said.

He declined to elaborate. Understand this about Clark: He can filibuster a yes or no question into a 45-second monologue without actually answering yes or no. That he would say a clear “yes” and nothing else leaves no doubt about his position.

If the players do ask that owners share revenue from such ballpark villages, the response would be predictable: First, we share baseball revenue from baseball operations, and real estate developments are not baseball operations. Second, if you want to share in the revenue, you can share in the risk too, by helping to fund construction of the ballpark village, say, or by assuming some of the losses when a tenant drops its lease and leaves storefronts or office buildings unoccupied.

Said Carroll: “I think that’s a conversation that won’t need to happen, because it won’t get to that point. A salary cap is a nonstarter from the union’s perspective.”

Enjoy the All-Star Game Tuesday, because this summer is one of relative peace. The collective bargaining agreement expires after next season, which means the rhetoric between players and owners ought to be flying this time next year. If the owners insist on pushing a salary cap, a lockout almost certainly would follow.

And, if the owners push revenue sharing, The Battery could provide the push for the players’ pushback.

ATLANTA — As federal agents conduct immigration raids in Southern California and across America, the union representing major and minor league baseball players has warned any concerned members to “carry documentation wherever they go,” union chief Tony Clark said Tuesday.

Clark, asked about the raids amid the context of a significant Latino player base, said the union has retained immigration lawyers and encourages players and family members to reach out with any concerns, so as to ensure players can be “in the best position possible to just get to the ballpark and do their jobs.”

Said Clark: “We continue to communicate with our guys and assure them, whether they’re at the minor league level or at the major league level, this is how best to protect yourself in the near term, and carrying the documentation while having an open line of communication is what we’ve found has worked so far.”

Clark said the union is working “hand in hand” with the league on this issue and believes the league is delivering a similar message to players. Clark and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred each spoke in separate meetings with the Baseball Writers Assn. of America here Tuesday.

Manfred said the league has discussed the issue with the Trump Administration.

“They assured us that there were going to be protections for our players — for example, going back and forth between the U.S. and Canada,” Manfred said. “They told us that was what was going to happen. That’s what happened. Beyond that, it’s all speculation.”

A federal judge ruled last week that the government cannot use racial profiling — what language someone speaks, for instance, or what race they are — in coming to the “reasonable suspicion” required to detain someone.

According to the league, 28% of players on opening day rosters were born outside the United States, with the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba ranking as the top three foreign countries.

Does Manfred worry Latino players might get caught up in the raids?

“I worry about anything that could be disruptive to the very best players in the world,” he said. “The prospect of that disruption, given that our players all have visas, it’s speculation at this point. We have seen no evidence of that at this point.”

Hey, I’m back from Covid! Did everyone miss me? I see no hands raised out there. No one? OK, well, on to the news!

From Chuck Schilken: Shaquille O’Neal has an issue with a recent ranking of the all-time best NBA players.

On Monday, Bleacher Report released its list of the “top 100 NBA players ever,” based on a compilation of rankings from a “legion of B/R NBA experts, writers and editors.”

O’Neal finished just outside the top five. He didn’t seem to have an issue with that.

Shaq’s beef was with the placement of his former Lakers teammate, the late Kobe Bryant, who landed outside of the top 10.

“Kobe at 11 is criminal,” O’Neal wrote on X in the comments of a Bleacher Report post that revealed the list’s top 20. He left his comment a little more than an hour after the original Bleacher Report post went live.

Here are the 10 players ranked ahead of Bryant, in order from the top: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Stephen Curry.

Bryant is followed on the list by Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Durant, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.

Do you think Bryant is one of the 10 best NBA players of all time? Click here to vote in our survey and let us know.

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From Broderick Turner: Even with all the sports dignitaries in attendance and even though they were watching a rivalry game of sorts between the Lakers and Clippers, the fans inside the Thomas & Mack Center still were mostly enamored with Bronny James.

That is the kind of drawing power James had even with his dad, LeBron James, watching again from his baseline seats. That’s the kind of draw James had even with Steve Ballmer, Tyronn Lue, JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka in attendance.

Even with Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Kawhi Leonard looking on, Bronny James was the center of attention yet again.

James had one of his better NBA Summer League games, but it was the Clippers who came out on top in a 67-58 win Monday night at Nevada Las Vegas.

James had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes and 17 seconds.

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Lakers-Clippers box score

CLIPPERS

From Broderick Turner: The Clippers team Brook Lopez grew up watching as a young kid in Southern California is not that same franchise anymore.

These Clippers are about putting a winning product on the court and about putting together the right talent to win games — and that is what sold Lopez on signing with them.

“It’s crazy to see, but it’s very cool — seeing the climb, the ascent,” Lopez said Monday afternoon at a news conference hours before the Clippers and Lakers played each other in an NBA Summer League game at Nevada Las Vegas. “I’m a Cali boy. I grew up in the Valley, in North Hollywood. Obviously things were very different back then and to see where the Clippers have come now, it’s just astonishing, it’s beautiful. I’m glad to be a part of it and hopefully I can help take them even further up.”

Lopez decided not to return to the Bucks after seven seasons in Milwaukee and opted not to sign with the Lakers, joining the Clippers on a two-year, $18-million deal.

Continue reading here

BASEBALL

From Bill Shaikin: The suspension of former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías ends Wednesday. The next day, Major League Baseball will remove him from its restricted list, and any team that wishes to sign him can do so.

Scott Boras, the agent for Urías, said the pitcher — the only player suspended twice for violating baseball’s policy on domestic violence and sexual assault — hopes to resume playing.

“He still has every intention to continue his career,” Boras said here Monday. “He’s getting in shape. Obviously, he’ll have options that are open to him.”

Boras declined to discuss any of those potential options Monday, since the suspension has not yet expired. It is believed that multiple teams have checked in on Urías, but it is uncertain whether a deal would be struck and, if so, he might be able to help a major league team.

“It depends on how teams view the situation and view his skill,” Boras said.

Continue reading here

Jacob Misiorowski is the talk of the All-Star Game. Why Dodgers are partially to thank

Seattle’s Cal Raleigh becomes first catcher to win MLB All-Star Home Run Derby

MLB draft: Landon Hodge of Crespi goes to the White Sox in the fourth round

L.A. OLYMPICS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: LA28 released the first look at the 2028 Olympic competition schedule on Monday, exactly three years before the Games open on July 14, 2028. The slate is highlighted by a break in tradition to accommodate the organizing committee’s unique, dual-venue opening ceremony plan.

Instead of beginning the schedule with swimming, as has been customary in recent Games, track and field will instead take place during the first week of competition from July 15 to 24 at the Coliseum. Swimming will follow from July 22 to 30 at SoFi Stadium, where an indoor pool will be built after the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony, now officially scheduled for 5 p.m. PDT on July 14, 2028, will be shared between the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. Swimming will deliver the final competition of the 2028 Olympics as the last medal events are set to begin at 3 p.m. on July 30, 2028. Three hours later, the Olympic Games will conclude with the closing ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Coliseum.

Continue reading here

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1912 — Jim Thorpe wins the decathlon at the Stockholm Olympics and, in the closing ceremony, Sweden’s King Gustav proclaims Thorpe the world’s greatest athlete.

1922 — Gene Sarazen shoots a final-round 68 to beat out Bobby Jones and John Black for the U.S. Open golf championship.

1923 — Amateur Bobby Jones beats Bobby Cruikshank by two strokes in a playoff to win the U.S. Open golf title.

1927 — Bobby Jones wins the British Open shooting a championship record 7-under 285 at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. It’s the second straight Open title for the amateur, who goes wire-to-wire for a six-stroke victory over Aubrey Boomer and Fred Dobson.

1945 — Byron Nelson defeats Sam Byrd in the final round of the PGA golf tournament.

1961 — Arnold Palmer shoots a 284 at Royal Birkdale to win his first British Open title.

1967 — Argentina’s Roberto DeVicenzo wins the British Open by two strokes over defending champion Jack Nicklaus.

1972 — Lee Trevino wins his second consecutive British Open title by beating Jack Nicklaus by one stroke.

1978 — Jack Nicklaus shoots a 281 at St. Andrews to win his third and final British Open.

1984 — Hollis Stacy wins her third U.S. Women’s Open golf title, beating Rosie Jones by one stroke.

1990 — Betsy King overcomes an 11-shot deficit over the final 33 holes to win her second consecutive U.S. Women’s Open as Patty Sheehan blows an eight-shot lead over the final 23 holes.

1991 — Sandhi Ortiz-DelValle becomes the first woman to officiate a men’s pro basketball game, working a United States Basketball League game between the New Haven Skyhawks and the Philadelphia Spirit.

2000 — Lennox Lewis stops Francois Botha at 2:39 of the second round to retain his WBC and IBF heavyweight titles in London.

2007 — BYU star Daniel Summerhays becomes the first amateur winner in Nationwide Tour history. Summerhays scores a two-stroke victory over Chad Collins and Chris Nallen in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational.

2007 — Copa América Final, Maracaibo, Venezuela: Defending champions Brazil win their 8th title with a 3-0 win over Argentina.

2010 — Rory McIlroy, a 21-year-old from Northern Ireland, ties the major championship record by shooting a 9-under 63 in the opening round of the British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

2010 — Caster Semenya wins her first race since being cleared to return to competition after undergoing gender tests, winning the 800 meters in a modest time against a weak field at a low-key meet in Finland.

2018 — Novak Djokovic wins his fourth Wimbledon title with a 6-2, 6-2 7-6 (3) victory over Kevin Anderson. It’s Djokovic’s 13th major trophy, the fourth-highest total in the history of men’s tennis, trailing only Roger Federer’s 20, Rafael Nadal’s 17 and Pete Sampras’ 14. At No. 21, Djokovic is the lowest-ranked Wimbledon titlist since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001.

2018 — France wins its second World Cup title with a 4-2 win over Croatia in a dramatic final in Moscow.

THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1901 — Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitched his first of two career no-hitters, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0.

1921 — NY Yankees slugger Babe Ruth ties MLB record of 138 career home runs (held by Roger Connor since 1895).

1960 — Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson goes 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle and driving in three runs to lead the Orioles past the Chicago White Sox 5-2.

1969 — Cincinnati’s Lee May hit four home runs in a doubleheader split with the Atlanta Braves. May had two home runs and drove in five runs in both games. The Reds lost the opener 9-8 but won the second game 10-4.

1969 — Rod Carew stole home off Chicago’s Gerry Nyman in the Minnesota Twins’ 6-2 victory. It was Carew’s seventh steal of home for the year and tied Pete Reiser’s 1946 major league mark.

1973 — Nolan Ryan of the Angels struck out 17 batters and threw his second no-hitter of the year, beating Detroit 6-0.

1980 — Johnny Bench broke Yogi Berra’s record for home runs by a catcher, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos 12-7. Bench hit his 314th homer as a catcher off David Palmer. Bench had 33 home runs while playing other positions.

1997 — The San Francisco Giants scored 13 runs to set a modern NL record for runs in a seventh inning en route to a 16-2 rout of the San Diego Padres. The Giants set the NL record for the most runs in a seventh inning since 1900.

1999 — After 22½ years in the dreary Kingdome, Seattle finally played a home game outdoors, moving into a $517.6-million ballpark with a retractable roof. Jose Mesa wasted a ninth-inning lead by walking four batters and the Mariners lost 3-2 to the San Diego Padres in Safeco Field’s opener.

2003 — Garret Anderson of the Angels went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double, powering the American League past the National League 7-6 in the All-Star Game.

2005 — Baltimore’s Rafael Palmeiro became the 26th player to reach 3,000 hits, curling an RBI double into the left-field corner off Joel Pineiro in the fifth inning of a 6-3 win over Seattle. Palmeiro joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.

2007 — The Philadelphia Phillies lost their 10,000th game, 10-2 to St. Louis. The franchise, born in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and later unofficially called the Blue Jays in the mid-1940s, fell to 8,810-10,000.

2008 — Justin Morneau slid home just in time on Michael Young’s sacrifice fly in the 15th inning, giving the American League a 4-3 victory in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The AL extended its unbeaten streak to 12.

2014 — With Derek Jeter going out a winner in his last All-Star appearance, Mike Trout drove in two runs with a triple and a double to lead the American League past the National League 5-3. Jeter started his 14th and final midsummer classic and went 2 for 2 before being removed in the top of the fourth inning.

2017 — Cody Bellinger became the first Dodgers rookie to hit for the cycle and Alex Wood became the first Dodgers pitcher in more than a century to win his first 11 decisions in a season, helping Los Angeles beat the Miami Marlins 7-1.

2021 — Tampa Bay catcher Travis d’Arnaud becomes first player in MLB history to hit 3 homers while catching and batting leadoff in the Rays’ 5-4 win over the NY Yankees.

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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

In America, the NFL laps every other sport. Around the world, where its product is labeled “American football,” the NFL has largely failed to export its massive domestic popularity.

That hasn’t stopped the NFL from trying. The global market has too much upside. The Rams will play in Australia next year. The San Francisco 49ers staged football clinics in the United Arab Emirates last month.

When the Olympics called, the NFL said yes. In 2028, the L.A. Summer Games will include flag football — and a selection of NFL players. How better to sell your sport internationally than to attach it to the world’s largest sporting event?

Baseball is, uh, still thinking about it.

Two years after we first started talking about whether major leaguers would play in the 2028 Olympics, Major League Baseball still has not said yes, and now the NFL and its publicity-gobbling machine is threatening to steal the spotlight.

If MLB withholds its players, the NFL will steamroll whatever collection of minor leaguers and collegians appear on the Olympic diamond. So will the NBA All-Stars competing for basketball gold.

If MLB agrees to let its players participate — and Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper have made clear they want to compete — hardly anyone will care about flag football.

“We have the best athletes in every sport,” LA28 chief Casey Wasserman told me.

“Wimbledon will end, they’ll come here. The Tour de France will end, they’ll come here and compete. Obviously, men’s and women’s basketball will have the greatest basketball players in the world. So we think that a sport like baseball ought to have the best players in the world playing.”

Here is a statistic the NFL could never match: Of the rosters announced for Tuesday’s All-Star Game, one in three players was born outside the United States. Those players represent eight different countries.

MLB has leveraged that global marketing opportunity into the World Baseball Classic, which has grown over two decades from a curiosity into a must-see event. The WBC returns next spring.

“I think it’s eventually going to get moved to the middle of the season,” Team USA manager Mark DeRosa told me at Saturday’s Futures Game. “I think it’s going to be a monster event moving forward.”

The only difference between a WBC in the middle of the season and the Olympics in the middle of the season: MLB controls the WBC.

Dodger Stadium will host six games during the 2028 Olympics, but will MLB players be on any of the teams participating?

(Mike DiGiovanna / Associated Press)

That is not a good enough reason for MLB to skip the Olympics. The best interests of baseball cannot always be measured in today’s dollars.

Should major leaguers participate in the Olympics?

“Oh, yeah,” DeRosa said.

“It’s not that simple a question,” said Tony Clark, executive director of the players’ union, onSaturday.

Clark said the union has had “encouraging informal conversations” with LA28 officials. What Clark would like to see from MLB is an actual plan — all the logistics for all the players, as the NBA and NHL provide when their players participate in the Olympics.

MLB has its own logistics issues too. For instance, if MLB skips the 2028 All-Star Game to accommodate the Olympics, how does the league compensate Fox? The league’s media contracts expire after the 2028 season, so the 2029 All-Star Game might not be available to Fox, and MLB would rather not refund the big bucks.

This much is set, according to Wasserman: The Olympic baseball tournament would cover six days at Dodger Stadium, with a six-team field. The United States would automatically qualify as the host country. The 2026 WBC could serve as a qualifying tournament for other countries, although that is more concept than certainty at this point.

What did Wasserman say in his pitch to major league owners?

“What an incredible opportunity to elevate the sport in a city where you have one of the great cathedrals of the sport,” he said. “There is no better chance to tell the global story of baseball than from the Olympics in Los Angeles.

“They understand that. We could have another Dream Team, or two, depending on the countries. That is a vehicle to tell the story of baseball around the world, and that is really powerful.”

To his credit, commissioner Rob Manfred gets that.

“We do see LA28 as a, you know, real opportunity from a marketing perspective,” Manfred told the Associated Press Sports Editors in April.

Logistics aside, Manfred needs to convince the owners — his bosses — that interrupting the regular season is worth it. If the Games were held halfway around the world, shutting down the season for two weeks might be problematic.

But in Los Angeles, for one week? Kill the All-Star Game for a year, and start the regular season three days early, or finish it three days late.

Wasserman said he has had “pretty consistent dialogue” with the league.

“We hope they get to the right answer, which is Major League Baseball players being eligible to play,” Wasserman said.

“We’ll be as patient as we need to be to get to the right answer.”

The wrong answer: The world is watching the Olympics, and MLB is giving us the Colorado Rockies.

Part of a trio made up of Putellas and Aitana Bonmati, who both are two-time Ballon d’Or winners, Patri’s work at the base of Spain’s – and Barcelona’s – midfield often goes unnoticed.

But the 27-year-old “runs the show” according to Corsie, who added: “She’s the one… you see she starts everything, she controls the tempo, she chooses when they settle the game down.”

Spain boss Montse Tome said she believes Patri is the “best player in her position”.

“It’s not an easy position because it’s not well recognised from the outside and I believe her personality, she is humble, she is a hard worker and this means Aitana [Bonmati], Alexia [Putellas], Vicky [Lopez], Mariona [Caldentey] and [Claudia] Pina play more freely and Patri is key for that.”

Asked about Tome’s comments, Patri said: “I feel super happy and super proud knowing the coach said that about me.

“For the game model we have, midfielders have to participate because then everything flows and the team feels confident.”

As well as setting the pace and freeing up space for her team-mates, Patri proved she’s got an eye for goal, with a drilled finish giving Spain the lead against Italy.

July 7 (UPI) — Brazil’s foothold in the rapidly expanding cryptocurrency market has grown stronger with the entry of U.S.-based trading platform Webull and crypto mining infrastructure firm Enegix.

The global rise of cryptocurrencies has presented serious regulatory challenges for governments and central banks. In that context, Brazil has emerged as a pioneer, establishing a clear, transparent and collaborative legal framework for the oversight and accounting of digital assets.

According to data from Chainalysis, Brazil accounted for more than 30% of all cryptocurrency transaction volume in Latin America in 2024 — the highest in the region.

Last week, Central Asian crypto mining firm Enegix Global announced plans to open a data center in the northeastern state of Piauí. State officials said company representatives signed a memorandum of understanding with local authorities and met with Gov. Rafael Fonteles to discuss the project.

Meanwhile, fintech firm Webull Corporation (NASDAQ: BULL) announced June 26 that it is reentering the cryptocurrency market, selecting Brazil as the first launch region in its renewed global rollout.

The company has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion and reported gross margins of 79.73%. Webull said it is targeting emerging markets with robust regulatory frameworks.

Brazil’s progress in the cryptocurrency sector is closely tied to its Virtual Assets Law, which established the foundation for regulating services involving digital assets.

The law, in effect since 2022, designates the Central Bank of Brazil as the lead regulatory authority while maintaining the oversight role of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil for crypto assets classified as securities.

The Central Bank has launched a series of key initiatives to build out the regulatory framework, addressing legal and accounting gaps that had previously left parts of the crypto market in a gray area.

Francisco Santos, a crypto trading and investment adviser, said one of the bank’s priorities is clarifying the legal and accounting treatment of widely used crypto mechanisms, such as staking and airdrops.

“Staking, which allows users to lock their cryptocurrencies to support blockchain networks in exchange for rewards, and airdrops, where cryptocurrencies are distributed for free to holders of other tokens, have often generated income that goes undeclared or is misreported. The law brings more transparency and structure,” Santos said.

Brazil’s crypto regulations aim to improve how digital asset activity is recognized in financial reporting. That includes defining how crypto-related mechanisms should be recorded in the financial statements of both companies and individuals, ensuring greater transparency and proper taxation.

The framework also supports more accurate market valuation of digital assets and improves the quality of data reported by companies operating in the crypto sector, strengthening oversight and accountability.

The Central Bank of Brazil has placed particular emphasis on licensing and supervising cryptocurrency exchanges and other virtual asset service providers, or VASPs. These entities must obtain operational licenses and meet minimum standards for security and compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules.

Another key part of Brazil’s strategy is its commitment to public participation and open dialogue with the crypto industry.

“Through public consultations and discussion forums, the Central Bank has gathered input from civil society, entrepreneurs, developers and the crypto industry itself. This collaborative model not only strengthens the regulatory process, but also enhances institutional legitimacy and supports effective implementation,” Santos said.

Not everyone shares such an optimistic view. Maria Silva Souza, an attorney specializing in investment firms, said the cryptocurrency market carries inherent risks despite government-led initiatives.

“Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile. While regulation offers investor protection, it doesn’t eliminate the risk of sharp fluctuations that can lead to significant losses — especially for less-informed retail investors,” Souza said.

She added that despite efforts to improve transparency, the crypto ecosystem remains a target for pyramid schemes, fraudulent offerings and sophisticated scams.

“Exchanges and crypto service providers are vulnerable to cyberattacks, hacks and other technological weaknesses. Regulation sets security standards, but no system is infallible. A successful attack could compromise users’ funds and data,” she said.

“Of course, if we had the possibility to change everything, we would change everything for sure. But this is a hard day for us.”

Portugal boss Francisco Neto joined in the tributes to Diogo Jota as thousands of fans also paid their respects during the team’s Euro 2025 opener against Spain.

Liverpool forward Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, both died early on Thursday morning when the Lamborghini car they were travelling in crashed in the Spanish province of Zamora.

On an emotional evening, a heartfelt rendition of Portugal’s national anthem was followed by an impeccably observed minute’s silence before kick-off, during which a black-and-white image of Jota was displayed on the big stadium screens in Bern.

“It was a really tough day to play football, because this life is much more than a game, much more than football,” said Portugal forward Jessica Silva.

“Of course everyone is sad. It’s heavy, my heart is heavy – much more important things than playing a game.”

Portugal fans held up placards with messages paying tribute to the player who is also being mourned in Liverpool, while both sets of players wore black armbands.

Despite having relentless support from their fans throughout the 90 minutes, Portugal fell to a 5-0 defeat in Bern as world champions and tournament favourites Spain began their pursuit for a first European crown.

Speaking in his post-match news conference, coach Neto, who appeared to hold back tears during the minute’s silence, described Jota as a devoted supporter of the women’s side.

“Diogo followed our team because he loved the county,” said Neto, who explained he first met Jota while coaching at under-19 level.

“Diogo always, when I talked to him, always knew the result. He followed the team, some players and this is the culture we have in Portugal.

“Today is a really, really sad day because two of us lost our lives. So young. It is not a good day.”