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Stefanos Tsitsipas says Nick Kyrgios’s cocaine ban was ‘pretty much expected’

  • Australian tested positive at event in June

  • Kyrgios and Tsitsipas have clashed in the past

Stefanos Tsitsipas says he is not surprised that Nick Kyrgios was suspended from tennis for taking cocaine.

“Pretty much expected, to be honest,” Tsitsipas said. “I am surprised it came so late, though.”

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© Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

© Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

© Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

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Defendants in Minnesota Church Protest Case Challenge Charges in Flurry of Motions

In their broadest assault yet against the charges, lawyers for the defendants pointed to the unusual investigative tactics the administration deployed to make the case against them.

© Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times

Demonstrators disrupted a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., in January to protest the dual roles of one of its pastors, who also serves as an acting field director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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US supreme court allows Trump to keep building $400m White House ballroom

Justices’ 5-4 ruling permits Trump administration appeal to block lower court order halting above-ground work

A divided US supreme court has permitted Donald Trump to continue building his controversial $400m White House ballroom despite legal challenges, raising the likelihood it will be completed.

In a 5-4 ruling, the justices permitted the Trump administration’s request to ⁠block a lower court order that had halted above-ground construction of the project while a lawsuit by a historic preservation group seeks to block it.

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© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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Tennessee to wear Dolly Parton tribute on helmets during 2026 college football season

Par : Agencies

The Tennessee Volunteers will be honoring Dolly Parton with a helmet sticker this season, the college football team’s head coach, Josh Heupel, announced on Monday.

Parton, a Tennessee native, died last week at the age of 80 from cancer.

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© Photograph: Wade Payne/AP

© Photograph: Wade Payne/AP

© Photograph: Wade Payne/AP

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Lionel Messi’s international retirement serves as a reminder: watch him while you still can

The Argentinian’s international career was singular, and his exit is a reminder that all good things come to an end

It was among the defining moments of the 2026 World Cup: Lionel Messi standing arms akimbo, looking up towards Argentina’s fervent supporters after losing the final. Tears streamed down his face after his team’s embarrassing loss to Spain in what we now know was Messi’s final match wearing that famous Argentina kit.

It was not the first time he’d cried at the tournament. There had been tears of joy in Argentina’s opening match, when Messi rolled back the clock to his glory days with a trio of spectacular goals against Algeria. There had been more when his brace against Austria pushed Argentina through to the knockout round as group winners, and even more when his equalizer against Egypt threw la Albiceleste a much-needed lifeline. Later, the world found out that Messi had been struggling all the while with the health struggles of his father, Jorge, a fact that clearly weighed heavily on him as Argentina made a dramatic return to the final in a bid to defend their 2022 title.

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© Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Reuters

© Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Reuters

© Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Reuters

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Who would fall in love with a fake NFL player? Plenty of sensible people

The FBI has charged Daejon Love after he allegedly pretended to be a 49ers receiver. Although football isn’t as glamorous as it looks, it easy to see the attraction

Is romance dead? Yeah, probably. There have never been more options for finding a mate – dating apps, Instagram DM slides, hanging out next to a gas station at 2am – but it’s also never been harder. Meeting someone who is compatible, stable, and even remotely attractive is akin to putting a square peg in a round hole. Blindfolded. From a mile away. Underwater. So, I can’t blame anyone for falling for an elaborate hoax like the one allegedly perpetrated by Daejon Love.

Love is now infamous around the world for allegedly posing as an NFL player in order to scam more than 20 women out of $1.3m. Now that Love and his alleged accomplice, Taylor Jamie Chen, have been charged by federal authorities, prosecutors are claiming they are a flight risk. They certainly seem like they have the money to flee the country. According to court documents, Love managed to fabricate an entire online persona as a San Francisco 49ers player – posting photos and videos in Niners gear, posing with expensive cars, and even performing football drills (badly) to bolster the alleged grift. Love allegedly used AI to trick search engine results to add credibility to his claims on football success with the 49ers. There’s even a video of Love running wide receiver routes on the beach. In a helmet. Do real NFL players carry their helmets in the car, just in case? You never know when you may risk a concussion while laying in the sand.

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© Photograph: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

© Photograph: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

© Photograph: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

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James Clyburn says supporting Clarence Thomas for supreme court ‘was mistake’

Congressman says Thomas abandoned his principles to become an extremist, hard-right member of bench

The senior Democratic congressman James Clyburn said his decision to support Clarence Thomas for a US supreme court seat “was a mistake” and called for the expansion of the nation’s highest legal panel to 13 justices.

Clyburn, of South Carolina, spoke up for Thomas at his fiery 1991 confirmation hearings, calling him “a personal and professional friend” who would use their shared experiences lifting minorities and advancing civil rights to become a respected and accomplished jurist.

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© Photograph: Matt Kelley/AP

© Photograph: Matt Kelley/AP

© Photograph: Matt Kelley/AP

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US Open 2026: Alcaraz wins in straight sets on return while Fearnley and Sabalenka also progress – as it happened

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka began their title defences with comfortable victories on Arthur Ashe

Sabalenka eases through on her serve, advancing to the net to secure her first game of the tournament with a forehand volley. It’s 1-1 in the opening set against Osorio.

Sabalenka and Osorio are underway on Arthur Ashe, with the Colombian serving. She records two double-faults before Sabalenka seizes upon the second serve, whipping a blistering forehand to make it deuce. But the defending champion finds the net and the stratosphere, too, as Osorio holds to go 1-0 up.

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© Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

© Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

© Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

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Venus Williams bows out after 2am following latest start in US Open history

  • Kenin wins 6-2, 7-6 (6) in late-night contest

  • Williams loses 15th straight tour-level match

  • First-round clash finally begins at 12.13am

Sunday had become Monday by the time Venus Williams finally emerged beneath the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, her entrance pushed deep into the night after Novak Djokovic’s bruising defeat by Argentina’s Mariano Navone went the five-set distance. The first ball was struck at 12.13am, the latest start to a match in US Open history, yet several thousand spectators remained to watch a player who has been part of this tournament for as long as the building itself.

At 46 years old, ranked 611th in the world and making her record-extending 26th US Open singles appearance, Williams has grown accustomed to making history simply by showing up. Even by those standards this latest installment was, as she would later describe it, “completely insane”.

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© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

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All-time great Aaron Donald comes out of retirement to rejoin stacked LA Rams

Par : Tom Lutz
  • Los Angeles were already Super Bowl favorites

  • Defensive tackle was 10-time Pro Bowler with Rams

  • 35-year-old aiming to win second Super Bowl in LA

Aaron Donald, one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, is coming out of retirement to rejoin his only professional team, the Los Angeles Rams.

During a 10-season career with the Rams, who drafted him with the 13th overall pick in 2014, Donald was a three-time defensive player of the year and an eight-time first team All-Pro. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams at the end of the 2021 season before announcing his retirement in March 2024 at the age of 32.

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© Photograph: Mark J Terrill/AP

© Photograph: Mark J Terrill/AP

© Photograph: Mark J Terrill/AP

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Lionel Messi’s ‘footballing beauty’ hailed as Miami crush Montreal; MLS roundup

Par : Agencies
  • Messi nets four goals, adds assist in 7-1 Miami win

  • Dejan Joveljić scores twice on Sounders debut

  • Minnesota United score three times in four minutes

Inter Miami interim coach Guillermo Hoyos ran out of superlatives for Lionel Messi after the ⁠Argentine playmaker scored four goals in a Major League Soccer match for the first time in his career to ⁠inspire a 7-1 thrashing ⁠of CF ​Montreal on Saturday.

Messi’s four-goal haul and an assist came at a crucial time for Miami, helping them snap a ⁠five-game winless run across all competitions.

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© Photograph: Dax Tamargo/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Dax Tamargo/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Dax Tamargo/Shutterstock

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US Open tennis 2026: Pegula, Boulter and Medvedev advance while Norrie exits on day one – as it happened

Jessica Pegula, the American third seed, began her campaign at Flushing Meadows with a straight-sets win

Krejcikova gets in a muddle after squandering a 40-0 lead on serve. Deuce. She fights back though. Wins the game with a lovely serve down the T. All square at 2-2.

Paolini delivers a dominant effort on serve to change ends at 3-2 up.

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© Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

© Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

© Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

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William Jewell running back MicahJo Barnett dies after medical emergency during game

Par : Agencies
  • Junior taken to hospital after first-quarter emergency

  • Division II season opener suspended and later canceled

  • School plans vigil for Barnett and his family

William Jewell College running back MicahJo Barnett had a medical emergency on the sideline during ⁠the school’s season opener on Saturday. and the school later announced his death.

Barnett, a junior, ⁠reportedly experienced seizure-like ⁠symptoms during ​the first quarter of the Division II contest against Fort Lewis College. The game was played ⁠on William Jewell’s campus in Liberty, Missouri, about 20 miles northeast of Kansas City.

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© Photograph: David Madison/Getty Images

© Photograph: David Madison/Getty Images

© Photograph: David Madison/Getty Images

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Novak Djokovic feels ‘as best as I can be’ before tilt at 25th grand slam title in New York

  • Serb hopes to take advantage of wide-open men’s draw

  • Elena Rybakina has eyes on No 1 world ranking

Novak Djokovic said he was as prepared as he could be for the US Open as he attempts to take advantage of the wide-open men’s draw and battle for a potential 25th grand slam title.

Djokovic arrived in New York having competed only once after his semi-final run at Wimbledon, losing in his opening match of the Cincinnati Open to Thiago Agustín Tirante while struggling with the humidity. However, he now sees the silver lining in that defeat, which he believes gave him the time to make sure he was in optimal shape for the US Open. “I don’t like early losses anywhere, to be honest, but it gave me time to be prepared for US Open in a most adequate way,” he said. “I had almost a few weeks, actually two weeks, to really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what’s coming up.

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© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

© Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

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North Carolina upset Texas Christian as college football kicks off season in Dublin – in pictures

Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels upset the TCU Horned Frogs in a low-scoring affair at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday in the first major college football game of the 2026 season

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© Photograph: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile/Getty Images

© Photograph: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile/Getty Images

© Photograph: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile/Getty Images

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Far-right media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos deported by ICE from US to UK

Ex-Breitbart editor has vocally supported immediate deportations for anyone who can’t prove US residency

Far-right British media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the US after being detained on Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Orleans in connection with what the agency said was expired authorization to be in the country and a deportation order.

Yiannopoulos’s deportation to the UK occurred on Friday, said a statement on Saturday from a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE.

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© Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

© Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

© Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

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‘Utterly baffled’: the 17-year-old girl who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig

Par : Tom Dart

In a 1931 exhibition, Jackie Mitchell silenced the greats back-to-back. It sparked still-ongoing debates over legitimacy and opportunities for women in baseball

The Sultan of Swat sounded exasperated. “I don’t know what things are coming to,” Babe Ruth sighed during spring training in 1931.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen if they begin to let women in baseball,” he elaborated to reporters. “Of course, they will never make good. Why? Because they are too delicate. It would kill them to play ball everyday.”

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© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

© Photograph: AP

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Keep off the grass: British tennis players complain of marijuana smell at US Open

  • Aroma wafts over courts from nearby Corona Park

  • Katie Boulter: ‘You smell it a lot. I’m not a huge fan’

Britain’s US Open hopefuls thought they had put the grass behind them when Wimbledon finished, but the smell of it is all around Flushing Meadows and they are not happy about it.

Marijuana is legal for adults in New York and while smoking is not allowed on site, the aroma of weed wafts over some outside courts from the nearby Corona Park.

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© Photograph: Lev Radin/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Lev Radin/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Lev Radin/Shutterstock

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Man posed as 49ers player to scam women out of $1.3m, FBI says

Par : Agencies
  • Authorities say 26 women targeted across four states

  • Suspect allegedly used dating apps, fake investments

  • FBI believes there may be ‘many more victims’

Federal authorities claim a man posed as a San Francisco 49ers player and scammed more than ⁠two dozen women out of about $1.3m.

The FBI arrested Daejon Love, 35, and his alleged accomplice ⁠Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, on ⁠24 August in Boise, Idaho. They were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, according ⁠to the US attorney’s office in the District of Oregon. The men remain in federal custody in Boise.

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© Photograph: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

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MLB suspends Dominican prospect after age-fraud plot involving fake grave

Par : Reuters
  • Report: player posed as nearly two years younger

  • Scheme allegedly included fake grave and records

  • $2.8m agreement with Guardians was canceled

A once-prized prospect from the Dominican Republic has been suspended by Major League Baseball after a league investigation revealed the player was part of an elaborate plot to portray him ⁠as nearly two years younger than he actually was, ESPN reported Friday.

The age-fraud plot included extreme efforts by the player’s handler such as falsifying school and medical records, faking birth and death certificates ⁠and even staging a gravesite, per ⁠the report.

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© Photograph: Michael Turner/MLB Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Turner/MLB Photos/Getty Images

© Photograph: Michael Turner/MLB Photos/Getty Images

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Milo Yiannopoulos, a far-right political commentator, detained by ICE

A former editor of Breitbart News, Yiannopoulos has also served as an intern for Marjorie Taylor Greene

Milo Yiannopoulos, a far-right British political commentator, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Louisiana, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

In a statement on Friday, a DHS spokesperson said that Yiannopoulos was arrested on Thursday at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport (MSY). The spokesperson said Yiannopoulos “legally entered the country” in May 2019, but that “he chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws”.

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© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

© Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

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Judge grants hearing over bid to recant Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse allegations

Par : Agencies
  • Man claims he was coached extensively by authorities

  • Pennsylvania says recantation is ‘highly suspect’

  • Sandusky serving sentence after 2012 conviction

A judge has granted a hearing to explore claims that a man wants to recant allegations of sexual abuse years ago by Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

Sandusky, 82, has been serving a decades-long prison sentence since he was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse in 2012. Eight young men testified about what happened to them as boys. He has repeatedly lost efforts to get a new trial, but Sandusky’s lawyers are trying again.

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© Photograph: Gene J Puskar/AP

© Photograph: Gene J Puskar/AP

© Photograph: Gene J Puskar/AP

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Shaky Sabalenka and wide-open men’s draw set stage for US Open drama

Defending champion arrives at Flushing Meadows in poor form and with a host of challengers looking to usurp her

Under any normal circumstances Aryna Sabalenka would not have lost her third-round match at the Cincinnati Open last week. For all of her unforced errors, indecisiveness and the obvious tension surrounding her tennis, the world No 1 had led the unheralded Sára Bejlek 5-1 in the first set tie-break and then 4-1 in set two. She gave herself more than enough chances to close out a comfortable win.

Instead Sabalenka returns to New York trying to find a path through her greatest crisis since she first reached No 1 in the rankings more than three years ago. That straight-sets loss in Cincinnati extended a mediocre 17-7 record dating back to the beginning of April during which she has not reached a final. She has just one more chance to turn her fortunes around as she tries to claim her first grand slam title of the year at the US Open, the tournament she has won on the last two occasions.

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© Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

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Esther González, Saudi Arabia and the questions around an unexpected transfer saga

The Gotham striker said she was stepping away from the sport, but then signed for Al Qadsiah. The move sparked questions over professionalism and raised concerns of LGBTQ+ fans who have disavowed the Saudi league

A recent World Cup winner joins a historically downtrodden club, immediately leads them to their first championship, praises the level of play in the league, speaks fondly of living in the club’s market, extends her contract with the club, leads the club to another championship, is named a league MVP finalist, and breaks the club’s all-time scoring record. That’s the fairytale of Esther González and Gotham FC – a story that ended abruptly, just nine days after that scoring record was set. On 27 July, Gotham announced that they had mutually parted ways with the striker as she “temporarily steps away from soccer to attend to personal matters in Spain”. The announcement of her departure was full of gushing words going both directions, and was met with understanding and support from the women’s soccer world.

But less than a month after González left Gotham, Al Qadsiah, a club in the Saudi Women’s Premier League, announced her as their newest signing, on a one-season contract with an option to extend for a second. NWSL journalist Jenna Tonelli soon reported, “League sources tell me that Gotham did not expect Esther to sign with another club this soon.” Questions swirled: did she actually intend to take a break from soccer when she left Gotham? And why would a player who just had a child with her female partner choose to play in Saudi Arabia, a country where same-sex relations are criminalized?

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© Photograph: Chris Gardner/NWSL/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chris Gardner/NWSL/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chris Gardner/NWSL/Getty Images

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The hollowing out of Tennis.com is a warning for American sports journalism

Par : Tim Joyce

The site once paired news and scores with distinctive voices. Its overhaul under Sinclair Media is the latest sign that serious tennis writing in the US is becoming endangered

A few weeks ago, as I often do, I went to the Tennis.com site to get an update about a match and to check out the commentary from my fellow tennis journalists. I was taken aback when, instead of the usual colorful graphics and info, I was greeted with a rudimentary-looking homepage that displayed only scores and rankings.

At first I thought it was a glitch of some sort. But sadly, no. As it turns out, Tennis.com, originally the online site of Tennis Magazine, is under a complete overhaul and will no longer be the home of esteemed writers such as Steve Tignor and Pete Bodo, robbing fans of unique and personal takes on the sport. It appears the longest running American tennis-specific publication is no longer alive in any form.

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© Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

© Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

© Photograph: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

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College football is booming, chaotic and more confusing than ever

America’s second biggest sporting obsession returns this weekend, which means marching bands, 100,000-seat stadiums, ancient rivalries and, increasingly, the operating model of a sport being invented in real time

Is college football healthy? It’s a seductive question, one that now comes up every year around this time. Actually, it never recedes, so it’s just with the sport all the time. It’s also the wrong question, because whoever answers it is free to choose their own adventure. The television ratings are way up there in the galaxy. Money rains down on dozens of programs and thousands of players. Marching bands continue to march. Yet a lot of teams are stranded by realignment or an economic inability to keep up in a transfer arms race. Their fans – actually any team’s fans – may be exhausted by escalating asks for their dollars.

If you have been checked out of the sport for a while ahead of this weekend’s first set of games, you may feel like your body has been frozen for a few decades. Indiana, (yes, really) are the defending national champs, fresh off a 16-0 season that puts them on the list of the handful of best teams ever. Texas Tech, once likened to Siberia by a former coach who is now a US senator, are the fiercest program in the Big 12. Ole Miss are good for the first time since integration. At least Ohio State and Georgia are still powerhouses.

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© Photograph: Alex Slitz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alex Slitz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alex Slitz/Getty Images

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White House Construction May Have Contributed to Close Call With Trump’s Helicopter

A controller let a jet take off after missing warnings that Marine One was about to fly through the area, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

© Kent Nishimura for The New York Times

A passenger jet came within a mile of Marine One in early August, after an air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan National Airport appeared to have missed multiple warnings.
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USA’s Russell and Brazil’s Dos Santos smash world records on ‘crazy’ night in Zurich

Par : Agencies
  • Dos Santos and Russell smash hurdles world records

  • Werro comes within 0.42sec of 800m world record

  • Bednarek and Wanyonyi clock world-leading times

Masai Russell and Alison Dos Santos each set a world record while Mondo Duplantis won a historic pole vault on a frenetic Thursday night in Zurich.

The Letzigrund Stadium had a raucous sell-out 25,000 crowd and the still, balmy weather conditions helped the athletes no end.

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© Photograph: Claudio Thoma/EPA

© Photograph: Claudio Thoma/EPA

© Photograph: Claudio Thoma/EPA

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Struggling Inter Miami hire Kily González as new head coach

  • MLS club mired in five-match winless run

  • González to replace interim coach Guillermo Hoyos

Inter Miami have hired former Argentina international Cristian “Kily” González as the club’s new head coach, according to two sources familiar with negotiations. César Luis Merlo was first to report the news.

The hiring will spell the end of interim manager Guillermo Hoyos’ time in charge of the South Florida club. In fact, he may have already coached his last game; MLS announced on Thursday that Hoyos had been suspended for one game for the club’s “repeated violations” of the late kickoff policy. (Inter Miami have become known throughout the league for delaying their return from half-time.)

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© Photograph: Luciano Bisbal/Getty Images

© Photograph: Luciano Bisbal/Getty Images

© Photograph: Luciano Bisbal/Getty Images

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Callaway cuts ties with Good Good Golf over ad depicting violence against woman

  • Golf giant ends partnership with YouTube group

  • Retailers have pulled Good Good products from shelves

  • Garrett Clark says controversial skit was in ‘poor taste’

Callaway has ended its relationship with Good Good Golf amid mounting fallout from an advert that many believe made light of violence against women.

The golf equipment manufacturer announced the decision on Thursday, cutting ties with one of the world’s most popular YouTube sports channels effective immediately. Callaway also said it would donate $1m to organizations working to prevent violence against women and support survivors of domestic violence.

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© Photograph: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR

© Photograph: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR

© Photograph: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR

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Malaria, Likely Spread by Mosquito on Plane, Kills 2 Airport Workers in Germany

Six employees at Frankfurt Airport were infected this summer, according to German health officials and the airport’s operator. Four recovered.

© Heiko Becker/Reuters

Mosquito traps had been placed at Frankfurt Airport, and any insects caught would be analyzed to find out about their species and origins, a spokesman for the airport’s operator said.
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Is NBC’s Premier League coverage in the US too English? | Leander Schaerlaeckens

One wonders when, if ever, a US broadcast can win the same plaudits presenting the English league with a more American voice

There they were again, signaling with their unchanging faces and voices and their unchanging studio backdrop that another Premier League season had begun. On Friday afternoon, and again on Saturday and Sunday morning, Rebecca Lowe welcomed American viewers to what is somehow already the 14th season of the world’s most popular sporting circuit to air on NBC.

She was flanked, as ever, by her merry band of pundits, her gang of fellow British expats. The Robbies and the other ones. Also, Tim Howard as the token American, albeit one who spent 13 seasons of his goalkeeping career in the Premier League, deemed sufficiently English by osmosis to join the crew.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is the author of The Long Game: U.S. Men’s Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, which is out now. He teaches at Marist University.

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© Photograph: Luke Hastings/Wired Photos/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Luke Hastings/Wired Photos/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Luke Hastings/Wired Photos/Shutterstock

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‘Grand slams are the engine to make a living’: Mackenzie McDonald on why players still compete when injured

American talks life on the professional circuit and those making sacrifices for a pay cheque, often compromising physical and mental welfare

For Mackenzie McDonald the players’ push for greater prize money and welfare contributions from the grand slam tournaments could result in the difference between putting food on the table and making a decent living.

After 10 years on the ATP Tour the 31-year-old American is not pleading poverty, but knows that life on the professional circuit can be a hand-to-mouth existence, with players’ physical and mental welfare often compromised due to their desperation to get back on court.

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© Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP

© Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP

© Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP

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Ratko Mladic, Murderous ‘Butcher of Bosnia,’ Dies at 83

A general during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, he was convicted in the killing of some 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica, Europe’s deadliest massacre since World War II.

© Pascal Guyot/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Ratko Mladic in Sarajevo in 1994. He was captured in 2011 and put on trial for genocide and war crimes.
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Plane headed for remote Alaska town crashes and kills all four passengers on board

Plane was headed for airport in Seldovia from Anchorage, and was submerged in water after the crash

A small plane carrying four people crashed into shallow waters next to a remote coastal town in Alaska on Wednesday, killing everyone onboard, according to officials.

The Piper PA-24 was headed for the airport in the small town of Seldovia after taking off from Anchorage, according to a statement from the Alaska department of public safety. Seldovia’s airport is about 136 miles (219km) south-west of Anchorage.

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© Photograph: Colin Underhill/Alamy

© Photograph: Colin Underhill/Alamy

© Photograph: Colin Underhill/Alamy

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After Whiskey With His Captors, Cuban Dissident Lands in a Miami Maelstrom

The former political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is unpacking 4,000 paintings he brought to Miami from Cuba and dodging criticism from exiles who once welcomed him.

© Martina Tuaty for The New York Times

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara with one of his sculptures last month in Miami.
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Can the Philly Classic ignite another golden age of US road cycling?

The race was at its peak when American riders were regularly challenging for titles. Its return could help prompt a revival

After a decade-long absence, the beloved Philadelphia International Cycling Classic is set to return this weekend, with some of the world’s best bike-racing teams taking to the famous circuit around the city’s leafy Art Museum, Manayunk, and Roxborough areas on Sunday.

The race is one of just a handful of events on American soil sanctioned by UCI, cycling’s international governing body, and will feature squads such as EF Education EasyPost, Lidl-Trek, Lotto-Intermarché, and Jayco AlUla in the men’s race, and powerhouses CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto and Human Powered Health in the women’s event. It is classified as a 1.1 race, meaning it’s two levels below the top-flight WorldTour, whose races include the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic will be livestreamed on Channel 6 ABC, with the women’s race kicking off at 8.30am Eastern. The men will follow at 12.30pm. Of course, you could always trek to Philly and become part of the party yourself. I highly recommend snagging a spot somewhere along The Wall.

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© Photograph: Chris Boswell/Alamy

© Photograph: Chris Boswell/Alamy

© Photograph: Chris Boswell/Alamy

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Muchová and Menšík win $1m US Open mixed doubles title in late-night thriller

  • Czech pair beat Bencic and Cobolli in deciding tiebreak

  • Revamped event draws strong crowds at Arthur Ashe

  • Singles stars dominate after doubles specialists exit

To many who came to the US Open grounds this week, the showpiece of the mixed doubles championship came Tuesday afternoon, with the returns of Serena Williams (after four years away from tennis) and Carlos Alcaraz (after four months out with a wrist injury).

To the players who remained in the field after Williams and Alcaraz exited in the quarter-finals, the real highlight was Wednesday night’s final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with its $1m in prize money on the line. Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík made the most of the spotlight, beating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6 (10-6) for the title.

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© Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

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Yayoi Kusama Was the Avant-Garde Radical Who Became a Pop Icon

In her mass-produced ubiquity, Kusama became one of her own dots, spreading her image into every corner of our culture.

© Philip Fong/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A video projection of “Song of a Manhattan Suicide Addict,” by Yayoi Kusama, in 2024. In her later years, Kusama was one of the most popular living artists in the world.
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Roger Goodell says NFL is reviewing Jed York’s arrest under personal conduct policy

Par : Agencies
  • Goodell confirms review after Ohio prostitution sting

  • York pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges

  • NFL has previously disciplined owners for misconduct

Commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL is looking into whether San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York will be punished for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after he was caught in a prostitution sting in Ohio.

“It’s being reviewed under the personal conduct policy,” Goodell said Wednesday at the owners’ meetings in Atlanta. “We’ll do that and when there’s something to be reported we’ll talk.”

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© Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

© Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

© Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

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NFL finally calls time on beleaguered Pro Bowl after years of format changes

Par : Agencies
  • League ends flag football and skills competitions

  • Only original 88 selections will earn Pro Bowl status

  • Players to be honored at Super Bowl week in LA

The NFL is ending the Pro Bowl Games after repeated format changes to its annual all-star event.

Beginning ⁠with the 2026 season, 88 Pro Bowlers will be selected but the NFL no longer plans to stage an ⁠AFC-NFC game, a ⁠flag-football matchup ​or an accompanying series of competitions. The players chosen will instead be invited to next year’s Super Bowl site in ⁠Los Angeles for an in-person celebration in February.

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© Photograph: Jerry Driendl/Getty Images

© Photograph: Jerry Driendl/Getty Images

© Photograph: Jerry Driendl/Getty Images

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Rangers finalize deal for Portland Timbers striker Kevin Kelsy

  • $13m fee is an outgoing record for Portland

  • Kelsy not expected to feature this weekend

Rangers have acquired forward Kevin Kelsy from Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers, a source with direct knowledge of the deal told the Guardian on Wednesday. That source requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the agreement. The deal, worth $13m (£9.5m) – potentially more if Kelsy hits certain performance goals for Rangers – also includes a sell-on fee for the MLS club.

The Athletic’s Tom Bogert first reported details of the deal on Wednesday morning.

Portland acquired Kelsy from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk last January, paying $6m for the Venezuela international. The 22-year-old has been erratic but ultimately productive for the Timbers, scoring 16 times in 43 appearances.

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© Photograph: Soobum Im/MLS/Getty Images

© Photograph: Soobum Im/MLS/Getty Images

© Photograph: Soobum Im/MLS/Getty Images

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Serena and Venus Williams will play doubles together at the US Open

  • Sisters to appear in New York for first time since 2022

  • Serena played mixed doubles with Alcaraz on Tuesday

Serena and Venus Williams are teaming up again at the US Open.

The sisters will play doubles at the tournament after receiving a wild card on Wednesday into the event they have won twice.

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© Photograph: Robert Prange/Getty Images

© Photograph: Robert Prange/Getty Images

© Photograph: Robert Prange/Getty Images

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‘I catch the signs a lot earlier now’: Amanda Anisimova on burnout and bouncing back

World No 10 is one of the best players yet to win a major and heads to Flushing Meadows in fine form after learning to embrace being uncomfortable

Amanda Anisimova can see the signs now. It is just over three years since the American announced she would be taking an indefinite break for mental health reasons. A brilliant junior, she was a semi-finalist at the French Open in 2019 and seemingly destined for the top, only for her world to be rocked by the sudden death of her father, Konstantin, a few months later. Struggling for motivation and burned out, in May 2023, she revealed she would be stepping away from the sport.

It turned out to be the best decision she ever made. “I learned how important it is to have a great balance on and off the court,” Anisimova says in an interview from New York, ahead of the US Open, where she will try to go one better than last year and win her first grand slam title.

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© Photograph: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

© Photograph: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

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Frontline Rolls: Ukrainian soldiers document their lives at the front on film

Ukrainian servicemembers pose with film cameras used to document their lives at the front. 2025. Collage: Serhii Melnitchenko

Frontline Rolls, a documentary photography project by Ukrainian photographer Serhii Melnychenko, began in February 2025, when Serhii started sending disposable film cameras to soldiers serving in different areas of the front line. He asked them to document their daily lives, routines, and work.

The project has since been published as a standalone photobook and adapted into an exhibition, with photographs, handwritten letters, and artifacts returned by the participants. In 2026, it won the PhMuseum 2026 Photography Grant Main Prize.

The Ukraine War Archive calls Russia’s war against Ukraine the most documented war in history. Frontline Rolls records it from the soldiers’ own perspective through their photographs, letters, and chosen objects.

How Frontline Rolls began

Serhii spent nearly all of 2024 working on Along the Dnipro. Since he did not have time to travel to soldiers’ positions but wanted to document their experiences, he began looking for alternative ways. He asked himself one question:

“Do I really have to be there in person to document this?” Serhii writes in the foreword to the book, the project’s print format.

The book Frontline rolls: Photos, Letters & Artifacts from Ukrainian Soldiers. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko.
The book Frontline Rolls: Photos, Letters & Artifacts from Ukrainian Soldiers. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

The answer was for the soldiers themselves to document their lives for a period of time. Serhii reached out to Fotovramci, which agreed to provide him with disposable film cameras free of charge.

The bags contain film cameras along with the exposed film. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko.
The bags contain film cameras along with the exposed film. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

The photographs that came back document the soldiers’ daily lives and the spaces in which they served.

Ukrainian service members inside a dugout, 2025. Photo: project participant Andrii “Dronchik”
Ukrainian service members inside a dugout, 2025. Photo: project participant Andrii “Dronchik”

Project participants also shared their stories in the book:

“I joined because I have to protect my family from the orcs. Before the full‐scale invasion I was an artist–designer, worked in advertising. Now a tank commander and reconnaissance pilot on a Mavic. In my free time I decorate shell‐casings and send them to volunteers for help,” says Oleksii, a soldier and participant in the project who goes by the call sign “Lapa.”

A Ukrainian serviceman works on equipment inside a military vehicle, 2025. Photo: project participant Oleksii “Lapa”
A Ukrainian serviceman works on equipment inside a military vehicle, 2025. Photo: project participant Oleksii “Lapa”
A cat sits inside a Ukrainian military dugout, 2025. Photo: project participant Oleksii “Lapa”
A cat sits inside a Ukrainian military dugout, 2025. Photo: project participant Oleksii “Lapa”

“For almost 3½ years I have remained in my soul a civilian. This system is very alien to me. In it I suffer a lot, in particular due to the huge restrictions on freedom. But I am here so that my country remains free. And for my values and convictions I have already paid a considerable price. If I had the option to choose another path—I would still choose this one,” says Oleksii “Photographer,” a soldier and project participant.

Ukrainian service members travel in a vehicle fitted with military communications or electronic equipment, 2025. Photo: project participant Oleksii “Photographer”
Ukrainian service members travel in a vehicle fitted with military communications or electronic equipment, 2025. Photo: project participant Oleksii “Photographer”

“I don’t have a callsign, because everyone knows me as Holikov. In the military since November 2023. From the very start of the full‑scale invasion I volunteered, but with each trip to the front I felt that I was doing not enough and decided to join the ranks of the 109th Separate Brigade of Territorial Defence,” says Viktor Holikov.

Mourners attend the funeral of a fallen Ukrainian service member, surrounded by Ukrainian flags and wreaths, 2025. Photo: project participant Viktor Holikov
Mourners attend the funeral of a fallen Ukrainian service member, surrounded by Ukrainian flags and wreaths, 2025. Photo: project participant Viktor Holikov
Burned-out vehicles stand beside a damaged building after an attack, 2025. Photo: project participant Viktor Holikov
Burned-out vehicles stand beside a damaged building after an attack, 2025. Photo: project participant Viktor Holikov

“In the army I... feel calmer. I have finally found a certain peace of mind during the full‐scale invasion, despite the difficulties. Partly I still feel that I’m doing not enough, but now it doesn’t haunt me like it used to,” says Kseniia, a servicewoman who goes by the call sign “Jane.”

A Ukrainian servicewoman poses among tall grass and flowers near a frontline position, 2025. Photo: project participant Kseniia “Jane”
A Ukrainian servicewoman poses among tall grass and flowers near a frontline position, 2025. Photo: project participant Kseniia “Jane”

“The army for me is, first of all, what is called brotherhood. It is hard to describe—you can only understand it by being inside,” says Danylo “Doc.”

Ukrainian service members rest in a wooded area near the front, 2025. Photo: project participant Danylo “Doc”
Ukrainian service members rest in a wooded area near the front, 2025. Photo: project participant Danylo “Doc”
Small blue figurines are attached to a Ukrainian service member’s body armor, 2025. Photo: project participant Danylo “Doc”
Small blue figurines are attached to a Ukrainian service member’s body armor, 2025. Photo: project participant Danylo “Doc”

The artifacts tell their own stories

Participants returned handwritten letters and personal objects with the exposed film. Serhii describes the resulting collection as a record of “personal experiences, struggles, and memories.”

“I collected artifacts that will remain part of our nation’s history after victory, reminding us of these challenging times,” Serhii says in the book.

Decorated spent shell casings provided by project participant Oleksii “Lapa,” 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnitchenko
Decorated spent shell casings provided by project participant Oleksii “Lapa,” 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko
A handwritten letter from Ukrainian service member “Dronchik,” describing life at the front and thanking supporters for their help, 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko
A handwritten letter from Ukrainian service member “Dronchik,” describing life at the front and thanking supporters for their help, 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

FPV drone — a drone remotely controlled by an operator using a live video feed, 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

An FPV drone—a drone remotely controlled by an operator using a live video feed, 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko
A handwritten remembrance by Roman 'Fjord' says Andrii 'Kratos' was killed after his position came under a gas attack, 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko
A handwritten remembrance by Roman 'Fjord' says Andrii 'Kratos' was killed after his position came under a gas attack, 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko
A rosary with a crucifix belonging to Andrii “VirtuoZ,” 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko
A rosary with a crucifix belonging to Andrii “VirtuoZ,” 2025. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

Frontline Rolls travels beyond Ukraine

In 2026, Serhii also received the PhEST International Award in Italy, ex aequo with photographer Victorine Alisse.

The photographs were also presented in Copenhagen as part of The War They Live, an exhibition curated by The Kyiv Independent photo editor Irynka Hromotska together with Serhii. The project was also shown at the Athens Photo Festival in 2026. According to Serhii, the exhibition is also scheduled to open at Fotografiska Stockholm in October 2026.

The Frontline rolls exhibition, featuring photographs, letters, and personal artifacts from Ukrainian soldiers. Ukraine House in Denmark, Copenhagen, 2026. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko
The Frontline rolls exhibition, featuring photographs, letters, and personal artifacts from Ukrainian soldiers. Ukraine House in Denmark, Copenhagen, 2026. Photo: Serhii Melnychenko

“I sincerely hope that when the war ends, every participant in this project will be alive. Because each of them has become much more to me than just a contributor—they’ve become true friends,” Serhii concludes the foreword to the book.

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Olivia Moultrie’s injury leaves the USWNT with a thinning midfield pool ahead of the World Cup

The Portland Thorns midfielder fills a role few in the US player pool can match, and she’s in a race against time to be fit for Brazil

Olivia Moultrie is no stranger to setting her own timeline. Half a decade ago, her desire to go pro at age 15 helped change NWSL rules, which previously forbade teams from signing players under 18. The ensuing five years have seen her go from one of the country’s top prospects to a high-level midfielder, a developmental success with the Portland Thorns.

Today, Moultrie instead finds herself in a race against time. The 2027 World Cup kicks off in 302 days, and her recovery from a torn ACL suffered at the start of this month has only just begun. Moultrie may not be among the biggest stars in the United States’ player pool, but her recovery from this injury should be closely monitored. Simply, there are few like-for-like alternatives who operate in possession as tidily and dangerously as she does.

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© Photograph: Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brad Smith/USSF/Getty Images

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Angel Reese is turning trolls and talk of ‘mebounds’ into fuel for a breakthrough

The star known as Bayou Barbie is shining in Atlanta. The longer her haters dwell on her lowlights, the more they miss her transformation into an all-around force

On 16 August, the Atlanta Dream faced the Indiana Fever in the WNBA’s showcase matchup, and Angel Reese had a chance to don the cape. Tied at 81, the Dream had possession with five seconds left in regulation when Rhyne Howard launched a deep three-pointer. Reese was perfectly positioned under the basket, snagging Howard’s air ball with an outstretched hand. But in the rush to win the game, Reese forced a shot off the backboard that caromed off the front rim – and Naz Hillmon’s putback fizzled as the buzzer sounded. After Indiana escaped with a 95-91 overtime victory, Reese beat herself up over the loss.

“I didn’t sleep,” she told reporters days later. “The competitor in me wanted to win that game so bad. I replayed that play so many times.” Reese vowed to shrug the game off and do better. Damned if she hasn’t proved herself to be a woman of her word.

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© Photograph: Brynn Anderson/AP

© Photograph: Brynn Anderson/AP

© Photograph: Brynn Anderson/AP

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Sky Sports to extend US Open contract after boost in female audience figures

  • Raducanu’s 2021 win played role in Sky interest

  • Sky’s tennis audience in 2025 was 60% female

Sky Sports is close to agreeing a new deal to extend its live coverage of the US Open. The three-year contract extension, which is expected to be announced when the singles draw from Flushing Meadows begins next week, will keep the tournament live on Sky until 2030.

Under the terms of the new deal, Sky will broadcast more than 12 hours of live tennis each day across the extended three-week tournament, including the new mixed-doubles event which is taking place this week.

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© Photograph: Elsa/Getty Images

© Photograph: Elsa/Getty Images

© Photograph: Elsa/Getty Images

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