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  • Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in preseason Top 25 football poll; Penn State 18th

    Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in preseason Top 25 football poll; Penn State 18th

    Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in the AP Top 25, giving the Big Ten Conference the top two teams in the preseason rankings for just the second time ever. Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas round out the top 5.

    The Southeastern Conference gets bragging rights with nine ranked teams, but the Big Ten isn’t far behind with eight.

    Penn State is ranked 18th going into its first season with coach Matt Campbell, who was hired in December following a 7-6 season that cost James Franklin his job in October. Penn State is one of four teams in the Top 25 with new coaches.

    ‘A sense of urgency,’ focal point of the offense, and more takeaways from Penn State football’s media day

    Indiana finished the 2025 season at No. 1 in the rankings after a historic 16-0 run and national championship game victory. This season, Ohio State enters with the best odds (+600) to win it all. Notre Dame (+650), Texas (+650), Indiana (+800) and Oregon (+800) round out the top five.

    The Top 25 voters are more than 60 journalists covering college football for AP members and other news organizations. They’re urged to base their votes on head-to-head results, not reputation, preseason speculation or regional bias.

    Conference breakdown

    SEC (9): No. 3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 9 Mississippi, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 11 LSU, No. 13 Alabama, No. 20 Tennessee, No. 25 Missouri

    Big Ten (8): No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 6 Indiana, No. T-14 USC, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Washington, No. 18 Penn State, No. 22 Iowa

    Big 12 (4): No. 12 Texas Tech, No. T-14 BYU, No. 21 Utah, No. 23 Houston

    ACC (3): No. 7 Miami, No. 19 SMU, No. 24 Louisville

    Independent (1): No. 4 Notre Dame

    Big Ten media day: Matt Campbell explains why Penn State was the right fit, keeping Terry Smith on staff, and more

    SEC has 9 ranked teams to Big Ten’s 8

    Having Ohio State and Oregon enter the season Nos. 1 and 2 ahead of sixth-ranked defending conference and national champion Indiana is a flex for the Big Ten, which already is riding the momentum of winning the last three national titles.

    Having five of the top 10 teams, and seven of the top 13, bolsters the SEC’s contention that it has greater depth. The SEC has nine ranked teams compared to the Big Ten’s eight.

    The debate goes on over conference supremacy and will only heat up when the Big Ten and SEC square off in the first heavyweight games of the season Sept. 12. That’s when No. 10 Oklahoma visits No. 16 Michigan and No. 1 Ohio State goes to No. 5 Texas. Both are rematches of games won by the home team last year — OU 24-13 and Ohio State 14-7.

    Texas quarterback Arch Manning is expected to be a Heisman Trophy candidate this season.Stephen Spillman

    Longhorns, No. 1 in last year’s preseason poll, look to bounce back

    The Longhorns entered the 2025 season at No. 1 after receiving 25 first-place votes — two more than No. 2 Penn State. But after a Week 1 loss to Ohio State, Texas found itself fighting upstream to maintain its top-ranked status. An October loss to a struggling Florida team didn’t help either, knocking Texas out of the rankings altogether.

    The Longhorns, despite gutting out a few impressive wins, ultimately fell short of the 12-team College Football Playoff after Georgia handed them a third loss.

    Eyes will be on quarterback Arch Manning, who the Longhorns hope makes the expected jump from year one to year two as a full-time starter. Manning, a favorite for the Heisman Trophy this year, will have to lead a team facing plenty of expectations once again.

    Buckeyes are an early favorite

    It’s the first time the Buckeyes have topped the list since the 2015 preseason.

    Ohio State ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the entire regular season last year, only dropping after a Big Ten Championship game defeat from Indiana. With a 12-1 record, Ohio State still earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes ultimately went on to drop 24-14 to eventual runners-up, Miami, in the Cotton Bowl.Gallery

    This season appears promising with quarterback and receiver duo Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith returning to the offense. Veteran defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is expected to anchor the defense. Notre Dame and Texas are tied for the second best odds at +650. Indiana (+800) and Oregon (+800) round out the top five.

  • A blockbuster $12.5B deal as Josh Kushner and Bob Iger agree to buy the Lakers

    A blockbuster $12.5B deal as Josh Kushner and Bob Iger agree to buy the Lakers

    LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for the second time in a year, going to businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking price.

    This sale agreement is $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither side revealed specific details of the latest stunning development with one of North America’s marquee sports teams.

    ESPN first reported that Kushner and Iger are buying the NBA’s most valuable franchise. The Lakers were valued last year at $10 billion — a record for a pro sports team — when Mark Walter purchased a controlling stake from the Buss family, which had owned the team since 1979.

    Kushner, a venture capitalist, and former Walt Disney Company CEO Iger had been working together on landing a possible NBA expansion team for Las Vegas. By buying the Lakers, they don’t have to wait until the possibility of expansion in the 2028-29 season at the earliest.

    The sale still will need approval from the NBA’s board of governors, and that process can take several weeks. The next board meeting is set for September in New York.

    The $12.5 billion price tag is not only a record for U.S. pro sports but a new summit in skyrocketing NBA franchise values. Only three years ago, Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a $3 billion valuation, while the Boston Celtics were sold last year to private equity mogul Bill Chisholm at a valuation of just over $6 billion.

    Walter’s agreement to purchase a controlling stake in the Lakers at the $10 billion valuation last summer obliterated that mark, and now Iger and Kushner have pushed the bar even higher.

    The 66-year-old Walter’s shocking decision to sell the Lakers after just 10 months of official ownership is reverberating throughout the team’s massive fan base, which appeared to be uniformly excited about the purchase last year. Walter has stewarded the Los Angeles Dodgers into the most successful stretch in franchise history, with three World Series championships in the past six seasons as the most aggressive spenders in baseball.

    Multiple media outlets last month reported that Walter’s business empire is under scrutiny from both federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission in tax fraud investigations.

    The 41-year-old Kushner’s capital holding company, Thrive Eternal, was set to be the “anchor investor” in FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits. Infantino abandoned the idea on July 31. Kushner’s brother is Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

    Josh Kushner currently owns a minority stake in the Miami Heat, and he previously owned a stake in the Memphis Grizzlies.

    The 75-year-old Iger became one of Hollywood’s most well-known executives while he ran Disney for two lengthy stints between 2005 and last March, when he stepped aside. Iger and his wife, former sports journalist Willow Bay, are the controlling owners of NWSL team Angel City FC.

    Walter’s purchase of the Lakers was approved by NBA owners last October. He originally bought a 27% minority stake in the team in 2021 before purchasing control of the team last year.

    Walter and his partners also have ownership interests in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, English Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the new Cadillac Formula 1 racing team.

    When Walter bought his controlling interest in the Lakers, the deal specified that Jeanie Buss would stay on as the team’s governor. With new ownership, it’s unclear whether Buss will have a continuing role in the team she inherited along with her siblings from her father, Jerry Buss, who died in 2013.

    The Lakers have won 17 championships going back to the franchise’s origin in Minneapolis, the second-most in NBA history behind Boston’s 18. It is a global brand, always at or near the top of the league’s merchandise-sales rankings.

    This record sale price comes just weeks after LeBron James, the league’s all-time leading scorer, left the Lakers after eight seasons to become a free agent. James ultimately decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

    The Lakers won their most recent title in 2020, and they have made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. Their current roster is built around NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is signed through the 2028-29 season.

  • Federal judge lets Utah enforce its anti-gambling laws on the prediction market Kalshi

    Federal judge lets Utah enforce its anti-gambling laws on the prediction market Kalshi

    SALT LAKE CITY — Utah can enforce its strict anti-gambling laws on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, a federal judge ruled in a win for states seeking to rein in the popular betting platforms.

    Utah has been on the front lines of a battle between states and the federal government over who regulates the markets and whether they should be considered finance or gambling. The legal landscape is fragmented, with state and federal courts blocking restrictions in several states and allowing them in others.

    Kalshi sued Utah in February, asking a federal judge to prevent the state from enforcing its gambling restrictions on the platform. The lawsuit came as Utah was on the verge of enacting legislation intended to undercut prediction markets from doing business in the state.

    State law now bans proposition betting in sports — wagers on certain events happening in a game, rather than the game’s outcome — which is a significant source of revenue for the leading prediction markets.

    U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby rejected Kalshi’s request to block the Utah restrictions Tuesday, saying the federal law that Kalshi cited in its argument does not prevent the state from enforcing its laws.

    For now, Utah residents can still place bets on the platforms. The state’s attorney general, Derek Brown, said he will enforce state laws on Kalshi, but he was still exploring options.

    “Gambling is gambling, no matter what any company calls it,” Brown said.

    Kalshi said in a statement that it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal.

    The company maintains that prediction markets fall exclusively under federal jurisdiction and are not governed by a patchwork of state gambling laws. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency responsible for regulating financial markets, agrees and has defended prediction markets in court.

    Courts in Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, New York, and Wisconsin have ruled against Kalshi in similar lawsuits, while judges in New Jersey, Tennessee, Arizona and Minnesota have sided with the company. Other states have been allowed to restrict certain aspects of Kalshi’s operations without banning them entirely.

    The Trump Administration has been supportive of prediction markets, which allow anyone with a smartphone to wager on just about anything. The president’s eldest son is an adviser for both Kalshi and Polymarket, and an investor in the latter through his venture capital firm. Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict.

    Utah leaders such as Gov. Spencer Cox have treated their fight to keep out anything they deem gambling as a moral crusade. The culture is rooted in the locally headquartered Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, which views gambling as a vice that leads to selfishness and addiction.

    Prediction markets are “causing tremendous harm to countless American families,” Cox said in celebrating the ruling.

  • Europe maintains World Cup boycott threat after Gianni Infantino’s FIFA crisis meeting

    Europe maintains World Cup boycott threat after Gianni Infantino’s FIFA crisis meeting

    European soccer’s governing body has retained its threat to boycott FIFA competitions despite FIFA apologizing for its failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.

    UEFA on Thursday reiterated that it had lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino and said conditions to withdraw its boycott threat had not been met.

    “UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non participation in FIFA competitions,” it said in a statement. ”First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.

    “These conditions have not been met. In addition, UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds.”

    FIFA president Gianni Infantino (center) with secretary general Mattias Grafstrom (left) and Moroccan soccer federation president Fouzi at a women’s Africa Cup of Nations game in Morocco on Wednesday.STR

    It was another bruising day for Infantino, with global soccer players union FIFPRO accusing him of “a profound abuse of presidential power.”

    The English Football Association has also withdrawn its support for Infantino’s reelection.

    Even Amnesty International said the “current crisis spotlights the need for governance reforms.”

    U.S. Soccer still isn’t saying much about the ongoing Gianni Infantino FIFA scandal

    FIFA and Infantino tried to present a united front following a high-level summit in Morocco on Wednesday when it announced the president had the full support of top staff in attendance.

    The world governing body also apologized for errors made over its controversial plan to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary and committed to “ensure they do not happen again.”

    FIFA said it hoped its meeting would “help restore confidence” in the organization after the turbulence created by Infantino’s now abandoned project, which provoked widespread condemnation.

    UEFA voted to abandon FIFA competitions if it went ahead. And even after Infantino’s hasty climbdown, Europe’s governing body said it had lost confidence in FIFA’s leadership — paving the way for a challenge to his presidency.

    In its defiant statement, UEFA made it clear its position still held.

    “Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the FIFA president (and whose careers depend on his favor) agree with him changes nothing,” it said.

    The next FIFA event on the calendar is the under-20 women’s World Cup from Sept. 5-27 in Poland.

    Inquirer staff writer Jonathan Tannenwald contributed to this article.

  • Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers set for World Cup debuts; Kahleah Copper returns to Team USA

    Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers set for World Cup debuts; Kahleah Copper returns to Team USA

    NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers will make their World Cup debuts as members of the U.S. women’s national team next month.

    The trio will try to help the U.S. win its fifth consecutive FIBA World Cup title. The young stars will be joined by 2024 Olympic gold medalists A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, and Kelsey Plum.

    “It’s always good when you compete for a gold medal, it’s a big honor,” said Wilson, a four-time WNBA MVP. “It’s something I don’t take lightly. Time to go there and have some fun and also win.”

    Rhyne Howard and Aliyah Boston also will be making their World Cup debuts to round out the team.

    “I’m so excited to announce the 2026 USA Basketball Women’s National Team,” USA Basketball national team managing director Sue Bird said. “This is an incredibly talented group that has earned the opportunity to compete in Berlin. Wearing a USA jersey is a privilege, and I know these 12 players will embrace that responsibility as we go after another gold medal. I can’t wait to see what this team accomplishes together.”

    Our favorite looks from WNBA All-Star Weekend

    Copper, a North Philly native and Prep Charter alumna, is among five returners from the 2022 World Cup squad that won gold. Copper also recently was a WNBA All-Star for the fifth time. She’s currently averaging 21 points for the Phoenix Mercury, good for fifth in the WNBA.

    Wilson leads the league in scoring (26.6 points per game) and blocks (2.0 per game) and is third in rebounds with 9.6 per game. Clark is fourth in scoring (21.5 points per game) and second in assists (8.0 per game).

    Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper, a North Philly native, is heading to the FIBA World Cup with Team USA.Ross D. Franklin

    This is the first time that USA Basketball has had a managing director choose the team; in the past, it was a committee. Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson, an assistant on the 2022 team, will coach this year’s squad.

    Stewart is the third player in USA Basketball history to appear in four World Cup tournaments, joining Bird, who played in five; and Diana Taurasi, who also played in four.

    The Americans will face China, Italy, and the Czech Republic in pool play at the World Cup, which will be held Sept. 4-13 in Berlin. The WNBA will take a nearly three-week break in its season to accommodate the event.

    Clark, Bueckers, and Reese helped the Americans win a World Cup qualifying tournament in March in Puerto Rico.

    Sabrina Ionescu has been a big part of the U.S. roster the last few years but was left off this season’s team.

    Bird said she called many of the players who didn’t make the team this time, including Ionescu.

    “I think we can all agree the hardest part, which is a problem I would never trade, is that we have so much talent,” Bird said. “The beauty of that is it means almost all players are wanting to be on this team, willing to be on this team. It is a sacrifice. It is a time commitment.”

    Alyssa Thomas helped the U.S. win gold at the Paris Olympics but hasn’t taken part in any USA Basketball camps since. Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles also hadn’t taken part in any USA camps, either.

    “Tremendous player. So much fun to watch,” Bird said of Miles, who is the frontrunner for the WNBA Rookie of the Year. “It’s been amazing watching her grow in this league. … She’s played with USA Basketball before. She will undoubtedly be in the mix for teams in the future.”

  • Stefon Diggs is signing with the Washington Commanders, AP source says

    Stefon Diggs is signing with the Washington Commanders, AP source says

    Stefon Diggs is signing with the Washington Commanders, a big addition at wide receiver to give quarterback Jayden Daniels and the offense a proven commodity who showed last season he can still be productive more than a decade into his NFL career.

    The Commanders agreed with Diggs on a contract for this season, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal had not been announced.

    Diggs, a native of nearby Gaithersburg, Md., joins Washington for a 12th year in the league and reportedly can make up to $12 million. He spent last season with New England, making 99 catches for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns in 21 games, including the Patriots’ playoff run to the Super Bowl.

    Stefon Diggs had 99 catches for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns in 21 games last season, including the Patriots’ playoff run to the Super Bowl.Robert F. Bukaty

    New England released him in March, and the 32-year-old went unsigned in free agency while facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with a dispute with his former private chef. Diggs was found not guilty in May, and the NFL said in June that he wouldn’t face any discipline after a review determined there was not enough evidence to punish him under its personal conduct policy.

    The Commanders had a hole at the position, and they are banking on Diggs filling it. The in-house options of Treylon Burks and Luke McCaffrey would have put Daniels in a tough spot and likely made No. 1 receiver McLaurin deal with plenty of double teams this coming season.

    Giants’ Abdul Carter sets the goal of being the NFL Defensive Player of the Year

    Signing Diggs could rule out going after Brandon Aiyuk, a friend of Daniels’ who is still under contract with San Francisco. Aiyuk said on social media in June that he would join Washington immediately if the 49ers released him.

    Aiyuk remains on the reserve/left squad list out West, while Diggs is now in an NFC East that features receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens with Dallas, DeVonta Smith with Philadelphia and Malik Nabers with the New York Giants.

    Diggs previously played for Minnesota, Buffalo and Houston during a career that included him being an All-Pro selection in 2020, when he led all players with 127 catches and 1,535 yards. Since making his debut in 2015 after the Vikings took him in the fifth round of the draft that year, Diggs has 1,025 catches for 12,523 yards and 79 TDs in the regular season and playoffs combined.

    That included the “Minneapolis Miracle” catch for Minnesota in the divisional round in January 2018. With 10 seconds left, Diggs leapt and evaded a tackle to score a 61-yard touchdown and beat New Orleans 29-24.

    Stefon Diggs (left) will join his fifth team in the NFL.Greg M. Cooper

    Off the field, it has been a more tumultuous ride, including getting fined more than $200,000 by the Vikings during his final season with them in 2019 for unexcused practice absences. Diggs was traded to Buffalo in March 2020.

    Diggs led the Bills in receiving four seasons in a row, but sideline outbursts and cryptic social media messages were also part of his tenure before being traded to Houston in April 2024. A torn ACL ended his time with the Texans, and skipping a voluntary offseason workout got him off to a bumpy start with the Patriots before he turned out to be a reliable option for QB Drake Maye.

    Cut in part because he was owed $20.6 million, Diggs now is teaming up with Daniels, who was taken one spot ahead of Maye when they were the No. 2 and 3 picks in the 2024 draft.

  • LIV Golf has lead investor and planning ahead for another season

    LIV Golf has lead investor and planning ahead for another season

    LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil announced an agreement Wednesday with a lead investor that would allow the rival league to forge ahead without the backing of Saudi funding while making players major equity holders.

    O’Neil did not identify the investor, only that it has signed an agreement that was approved by LIV’s board and signals “the path forward for the League’s next era, driven by and for the players.”

    O’Neil said LIV is getting “strong interest” from more than a dozen other parties who would be minority investors as the league tries to survive. They spoke on the eve of LIV Golf New York at Trump Bedminster, the penultimate individual tournament.

    LIV is to play in Indianapolis on Aug. 20-23. The season-ending team championship in Michigan has been in doubt for several weeks, mainly because the course has not even begun setting up for a tournament scheduled to start in three weeks.

    LIV Golf, which launched in 2022 with the financial backing of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, paid nine-figure bonuses to lure top players like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm away from the PGA Tour, offering $20 million prize funds.

    But it all began to fall apart earlier this year when PIF said it would no longer fund LIV Golf after the 2026 season. One event in New Orleans already was scrapped.

    O’Neil met with team captains on Tuesday, and DeChambeau led a player-only meeting later in the afternoon, though none of the players shared details.

    O’Neil said he expected to finalize terms with the lead investor in the next few weeks with the goal of getting it done in September. The plan for what is being referred to as “LIV Golf 2.0” is for 10 team events each year, five of them in the United States and five others around the world.

    It also wants to stage events leading into the majors and having a schedule that allows its player to compete on other circuits. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton already play on the European tour. The PGA Tour still has a one-year ban on anyone competing on LIV.

  • Giants’ Abdul Carter sets the goal of being the NFL Defensive Player of the Year

    Giants’ Abdul Carter sets the goal of being the NFL Defensive Player of the Year

    Abdul Carter is setting a lofty goal for himself.

    “I want to be Defensive Player of the Year,” Carter said. And he absolutely thinks he can do so right away.

    The North Philly native, who starred at La Salle College High School and Penn State, goes into his second NFL season with the New York Giants having come a long way from the edge rusher selected with the third pick in the 2025 draft and who asked Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor to wear his No. 56 — and was denied. He has visibly evolved as a player and a person since struggling through the first two months as a rookie and getting disciplined twice for off-field team violations.

    After finishing strong last year with 3½ sacks in his final five games, Carter has been a disruptive force early in training camp and could soon be an every-down linebacker and a difference-maker in all situations.

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    “I know what I’m capable of,” Carter said last week at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. “I know if I put the work in and believe in myself, trusting myself, trust in my teammates, trust in my coaches, I can be whoever I want to be.”

    Carter has shown flashes of brilliance in practice, working against established starting left tackle Andrew Thomas and often beating him to the backfield. Thomas notices Carter being better than this time last year.

    “He’s using his power more, and you can tell he just has a better understanding for different types of blocks, different types of attacks, recognizing play schemes,” Thomas said, acknowledging Carter has exhibited growth all around. “He wants to be a good player, so when you have that drive, you just have to get it going in the right direction. You just learn as you go. He’s a young kid. He’s going to learn. He’s going to get even better.”

    The learning happened in a very public way. Carter had just half a sack in his first 10 pro games, got benched from the first defensive series of his 11th by interim coach Mike Kafka, who then sat him again for the first quarter two weeks later.

    Carter, who will be 23 in October, said at the time he owned his mistakes. Asked at this camp if he could tell his younger self anything, he brushed that off as not the way he thinks about life.

    “I feel like everything happened the way it was supposed to,” Carter said. “I learned from it, moved on from it, so I’m ready to go into year two.”

    What are the Giants getting from Carter in year two? Brian Burns, who’s coming off a career season in which he ranked second in the league with 16½ sacks behind record-setter Myles Garrett, sees big things.

    Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are in a competition for QB2 duties. And they’re trying to embrace it.

    “He ended the year strong,” Burns said. “I expect him to break out, pick up where he left off.”

    Carter intends to do that by leaning on the video, playbook study and practice habits he has developed. That approach fits in with what Burns and others have observed about Carter showing more maturity.

    It doesn’t hurt that Carter also has a new coach in John Harbaugh, who brings Super Bowl-winning gravitas to the job and hired Dennard Wilson to be defensive coordinator. It’ll be up to Wilson to figure out the best ways to use Carter to unlock his potential, though that’s something Harbaugh already has a good idea of.

    “Just a consistency level: down, after down, after down, all downs, all situations,” Harbaugh said. “Play the run, rush the passer, all the movements, stunts — things like that — (and) cover for guys on movements. All those things that he’s determined to do, I’ve heard him say it many times, to be a complete player.”

  • Cleveland Sirens unveil name and branding for WNBA expansion team

    Cleveland Sirens unveil name and branding for WNBA expansion team

    CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s WNBA expansion team had three priorities for the franchise’s name.

    It had to have its own identity and not be related to the Cavaliers. It needed to tie into Lake Erie. And fans wanted something progressive.

    The Cleveland Sirens think they accomplished all three Tuesday when they introduced the name and branding during an event on Tuesday at Rocket Arena.

    The WNBA’s 16th team will begin play in 2028. Cleveland was home to one of the league’s original franchises when the WNBA started in 1997, but the Rockers folded in 2003 when owner Gordon Gund could not find a new buyer.

    Franchises coming to Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) have yet to announce names or branding. Philly’s franchise will be owned by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the 76ers, and will share an arena with the Sixers and Flyers.

    Fans from Philly and beyond gather to watch the WNBA All-Star Game

    Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group, which has owned the Cavaliers since 2005, paid a $250 million expansion fee for Cleveland’s return to the WNBA.

    Janice Braxton, who played for the Rockers for three seasons (1997 to 1999), narrated a video introducing the name and the theme of “Hear the Call.”

    Braxton, along with other former Rockers players, also attended Tuesday’s event.

    “We were at dinner with them last night, and we gave them a sneak peak of the video,” Sirens president of business operations Allison Howard said, “and they were overwhelming in their support and clapped several different times.”

    The logo features a Siren underneath the name. The “S” in the wordmark also conceals “CLE.” The two shades of blue take inspiration from Lake Erie and the Rockers logo.

    “We really wanted something that people could rally behind a real character. And we’re really excited about that,” said Grant Gilbert, Rock Entertainment Group’s vice president of business and basketball operations. “I think the other aspect of the Siren name and brand that was really considered and that we get very excited about is how authentically it extends just beyond the name and branded logos itself. The potential of the name is endless.”

    Over the past year, Cleveland has had 9,000 deposits for season tickets. Howard expects that to increase now that the name has been announced.

    “This team can exist very much on the independent side of the Cavaliers,” Howard said. “And that’s also what we are seeing right now. The demographic is totally different. They eat different food, they drink different drinks, they get here earlier, they purchase merchandise differently, and they come from all over the state and even outside of the state.”

  • Source: Cubs to acquire pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from Mets

    Source: Cubs to acquire pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from Mets

    CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs are poised to acquire pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from the New York Mets for touted infield prospect Jefferson Rojas.

    The teams have agreed to the trade pending medical reviews, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the move hadn’t been announced by either side.

    It’s the latest effort by the busy Cubs to replenish an injury-depleted pitching staff as they attempt to chase down first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central and hang onto the National League’s top wild-card spot.

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    Earlier in the day, Chicago obtained reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Los Angeles Angels for two minor leaguers: catcher Moisés Ballesteros and right-hander Mason McGwire — son of retired slugger Mark McGwire. The team also added left-hander Braxton Garrett from the Miami Marlins for a pair of minor leaguers: infielder Jonathon Long and right-hander Jace Beck.

    Garrett was optioned to triple-A Iowa.

    Those deals came one day after the Cubs augmented their rotation by acquiring veteran starter Kevin Gausman in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

    Holmes appears just about ready to return from a broken right leg that has sidelined him since mid-May. He was 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts before getting hurt.