When this World Cup finally took a day off on Wednesday, it had been 27 days since the tournament began.
That was just one day fewer than it took to contest the entire 2022 edition in Qatar, and four days fewer than the 2018 one that was the last men’s World Cup played in June and July. (The Qatar edition was moved to November and December to get out of the Middle East’s summer heat.)
So if you feel like it’s been a lot, you aren’t alone. Between the controversies that engulfed the U.S. team’s exit and the mania of so many other dramatic games, a day to rest and recharge wasn’t the worst thing.
Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi will look to guide his country past mighty France on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Themba Hadebe
Now, the quarterfinals are here, and all four games have major star power. The first one might be the best of them: France vs. Morocco on Thursday in Foxborough, Mass. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi will face many current and former teammates at his French club, Paris Saint-Germain, while trying to lead the Atlas Lions to their second straight semifinal four years after they became the first African team to make it that far.
Philadelphia needs no introduction to France’s galaxy of talent at this point, having seen Les Bleus win both games they played in town. Now here they go again: Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and, above all, Kylian Mbappé. They’ve been unstoppable so far, bringing not just their quality but a real motivation to carry Les Bleus to a historic third straight final.
Kylian Mbappé (left) and Marcus Thuram (center) leading France’s celebrations after their Round of 16 win over Paraguay in Philadelphia’s last World Cup game.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
The France-Morocco winner will play the winner of Friday’s Spain-Belgium matchup in Inglewood, Calif. Spain’s Lamine Yamal keeps earning headlines as the game’s top young phenom, and if France and La Roja advance, that semifinal would be a box office smash.
As for Belgium, speaking of motivation, let’s see how this game goes for them. The Red Devils had all that any team could need against the U.S., but will they be as fired up this time?
The other quarterfinals will be played Saturday. First, England faces Norway in Miami Gardens, Fla., a matchup of a lot of players who know each other. Nine of Norway’s players play in the English Premier League, including superstar striker Erling Haaland at Manchester City and playmaker Martin Ødegaard at Arsenal.
Those two clubs, in turn, have nine combined players on the Three Lions’ squad. City has newly signed $155 million midfielder Elliot Anderson, starting defenders Marc Guéhi and Nico O’Reilly, backup defender John Stones, and backup goalkeeper James Trafford. Arsenal has wingers Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Bukayo Saka, and central midfielder Declan Rice.
Crystal Palace also has a player on each side, Norway forward Jørgen Strand Larsen and England backup goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
We’ll see how all that familiarity plays out on the field. We’ll also see what impact the weather has on the 4 p.m. kickoff, a forecast high of 90 degrees, South Florida’s humidity, and the perennial threat of thunderstorms.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina return to Kansas City, Mo., where the reigning World Cup champions played their tournament opener, for the last quarterfinal. They came awfully close to not making it back, needing a stunning late comeback from a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt, 3-2, in the round of 16.
Can Switzerland do what Egypt and Cape Verde couldn’t: finish the job and knock Messi out of his last World Cup? The task will be especially tough if standout playmaker Johan Manzambi can’t recover from the injury that caused him to miss the round of 16 win over Colombia.
MESSI’S 8TH GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT DRAWS ARGENTINA LEVEL WITH EGYPT 🇦🇷
If England and Argentina advance, they’ll renew one of soccer’s most famous rivalries for the first time at a men’s World Cup since 2022. That would be quite a scene, especially under the roof in Atlanta.
World Cup quarterfinals schedule
All games are televised on Fox29 in English and Telemundo 62 in Spanish. All times listed are local to Philadelphia.
When Eastern Regional’s track and field coach Mike Tangeman is asked about star senior runner Natalie Dumas, he will not call attention to the more than 20 program records she’s broken. Instead, he will mention that she does not own any of the program’s freshman records.
Before becoming one of the most accomplished runners in New Jersey history, Dumas first got involved with the sport as a freshman to bond with her sister, Kadence, who was then a senior.
As a junior, at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, Natalie became the first girl in state history to place first in three events — the 400 meters, 400-meter hurdles, and 800 meters. A few weeks later, she placed first in the same three events at the New Balance Nationals held at Penn’s Franklin Field. Her accomplishment at both meets made Dumas a prominent name in national track circles and won the attention of the University of Arkansas, where she will be running next year.
This past year was no different. At June’s Meet of Champions in Pennsauken, Dumas placed first again in three events to cap her outdoor scholastic season. She clocked in at 57.04 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, 52.14 in the 400 meter, and 2 minutes, 03.46 seconds in the 800 meter.
“With track, you have to trust the process because you work up into becoming better time wise,” Dumas said. “Obviously, you’re really out of shape at the beginning, and then you get better and better.
“At the end of the day I’m not afraid to lose.”
A ‘minor celebrity’
Last month, Dumas flew to Eugene, Ore., to compete in the USATF U20s and the Nike Nationals. To combat potential jetlag and the difference in climate, she arrived on the West Coast a few days before she was slated to race at University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.
In the U20s, she won a spot on the U.S. World team after a first-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, running a season-best 56.13. The next day, she returned to the same track to compete in the 400-meter dash at the Nike Nationals and placed first at 52.21 to claim her eighth national title.
“It was a lot of races,” Dumas said. “But honestly, I didn’t even mind racing that much.”
Dumas’ participation in the Nike Nationals was possible because of the event’s intentional geography and calendar proximity to the U20s. It was also a sign of the ever-evolving nature of high school sports. Dumas is one of 20 female high school track and field athletes signed to Nike Elite. The program, which includes a coveted name, image, and likeness deal with the world’s largest supplier of athletic attire, has increased Dumas’ national appeal. It has also improved her performance on the track.
Natalie Dumas started running track as a freshman at Eastern Regional.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The partnership offers support from Nike’s team of trainers. Since signing with the company, Dumas has revamped her strength training regimen in line with Nike’s guidance and learned more about injury management. Through the program, she also connected with other Nike athletes and Nike Elite’s personal training staff.
“It’s just great overall,” Dumas said. “I feel like high school athletes tend to be more on the lazy side than everyone else, because they kind of don’t have anyone like kicking their butt into gear.”
“Sometimes being called out is embarrassing. [The Nike trainers] will say something like, ‘Hey, you didn’t finish this last set, go do it.’ But they definitely stay on top of you. … They all help us push to be our greatest.”
NIL is not the only change in Dumas’ life. After coming onto the national scene last year, Dumas’ popularity in the track world skyrocketed. The 17-year old currently has nearly 14,000 followers on Instagram.
“Coming into this year, she was a minor celebrity,” Tangeman said. “Dealing with all the attention and everyone knowing her. Other athletes from other schools saying hi to her, wanting to take pictures at meets and just all that other stuff. It was definitely a lot different.”
Dumas had to get used to the constant noise around her — which she admits has been “hard to handle” at times.
“At the end of the day, you shouldn’t worry about making sure everyone’s responded to and everyone’s answered to,” Dumas said. “If they’re closest to you and if they know you, they’ll kind of understand. [They will] be like, ‘Well, I know Natalie. I know the type of person she is, and she wouldn’t do that to me.’ It’s kind of just hard to keep up with it.”
‘Shape me into a better runner’
As one of the top talents in the country, Dumas had her pick of the upper-echelon of college programs, which was a blessing and a curse.
“It’s kind of like when you go to a restaurant and there’s a huge menu,” said Tangeman, laughing.
Dumas spent most of this past year scheduling and taking recruitment visits. In order to woo her, she said several programs pulled out all the stops. One treated her to an outing at Topgolf. Another pitched their school to her on a boat. Ultimately, it was the last school she visited that won her over.
Natalie Dumas runs the 400 meters, 800 meters, and 400-meter hurdles.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“[Arkansas] just set my goals in front of me,” Dumas recalled. “They said, ‘These are your goals, this is what you want to do. If that’s what you want to do, we will make an attempt to reach them.’
Arkansas has won three NCAA women’s outdoor track and field team titles since 2015, and another five in indoor track over that span.
“There’s not too much to be said about Arkansas. You look at the program, you look at the athletes that they have produced, and you see what they have done. I put my trust in them. I’m not afraid to run the workouts that they’re running, lift the workouts that they’re lifting. I’m not afraid to go out there and try something new, and I’m definitely excited for them to kind of just shape me into a better runner.”
While Dumas is looking forward to running at one of the best collegiate programs in the country, she is also mourning the end of her high school career. She graduated last month, cutting her Nike Nationals appearance a day early to make the ceremony. In the weeks since, she has found it “weird” to have a summer away from the track where she first learned to run.
“She brought a lot of positive attention our way,” Tangeman said. “Going forward, the kids coming up throughout our school system will say, ‘Hey, you know this Natalie Dumas? She ran track and field at Eastern, maybe that’s something I want to do too.’”
It’s hard for Cesar Castellanos to dream of a better way to celebrate his 12th birthday.
After celebrating his actual birthday with a few friends last Friday, Castellanos, a student at Juniata Park Academy, traveled to Lincoln Financial Field for Philly’s final World Cup match, the round of 16 game between France and Paraguay.
But Castellanos wasn’t just there to watch.
The soccer-loving middle schooler walked onto the field with the players as a part of FIFA’s player escort program.
Cesar Castellanos (left), 12, walks on to the field with France forward Ousmane Dembélé before they play Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match in Philadelphia on July 4.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Castellanos is a regular participant at Safe-Hub Philadelphia, a soccer-centric nonprofit that opened a campus in the Harrowgate section of Kensington in 2022.
Safe-Hub is one of four community organizations Quaker Oats partnered with in Philadelphia to send children from underprivileged areas to World Cup matches. Safe-Hub hosted two nutritional clinics for its participants, and children who attended both were given a chance to be selected as player escorts.
Castellanos attended both sessions, one on Martin Luther King Day and the other on Presidents’ Day. A few months later, he found out he had been selected for the round of 16 match on July 4.
“I was really going crazy when I realized I got the chance,” Castellanos said before the match.
Cesar Castellanos got the opportunity to walk out for the World Cup’s final game in Philly, with the reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé. Owen Hewitt / Staff
Castellanos has played soccer at Safe-Hub for almost three years, starting in early elementary school. The aspiring midfielder follows international soccer closely and intends to continue playing through high school and beyond.
As such, Castellanos was elated at the opportunity to be up close and personal with some of the game’s best players. After the tournament’s group stage, when it became clear that a star-studded French team could advance to the round of 16 match in Philadelphia, he began rooting hard for Les Bleus to return.
He got his wish, with France meeting Paraguay for a matchup at the Linc on July 4. Castellanos did not know which team he would be paired with beforehand, though he hoped for one of France’s international superstars. As a native Spanish speaker, he could handle walking out with the Paraguayans, but he started learning some basic French, just in case.
Sure enough, once he got into the tunnel before the match, Castellanos got paired with Ousmane Dembélé. Aside from being a star player for France, Dembélé is a forward for France’s biggest club team, Paris Saint-Germain, and the reigning winner of the Ballon d’Or, an award given to the top player worldwide.
Castellanos couldn’t contain his excitement. He started to cry tears of joy, which led to some extra affection from the French side.
“I had to keep my cool,” Castellanos said. “I couldn’t go crazy. But I was so excited … I was crying. Mbappé gave me a hug. Dembélé gave me a hug.”
Castellanos was not the only Safe-Hub participant on the field for the match. Isaac Oquendo was a flag bearer for the match, holding Paraguay’s flag on the pitch as the national anthems of each country played inside the stadium.
Isaac Oquendo is a Kensington-area youth who received an opportunity to be a part of the matchday activities during Philly’s final game of the FIFA World Cup.Owen Hewitt / Staff
Oquendo, 16, is a student at Roman Catholic and has been playing soccer at Safe-Hub for a year. Oquendo is part of the nonprofit’s PlayMakers program, which offers higher-intensity soccer training as well as off-field life skill workshops. As part of the program, Oquendo traveled to Boston for Festival 26, a youth soccer summit featuring delegations from across the world.
Oquendo said the opportunity to get on the pitch with the players was an “amazing experience.”
“I had a lot of fun,” Oquendo said. “It was great being with people who love the sport as much as I do, and seeing the players right behind me.”
Oquendo said he received a brief lesson from World Cup organizers on how to hold the flag and where to stand on the field before he walked out. After the pre-match festivities ended, both Castellanos and Oquendo got to watch France’s win over Paraguay from the 100-level.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Oquendo said. “It was a great experience, but it’s so nerve-wracking, going on the field and seeing the players walk past you. It was something else.”
As the 2020 NFL season kicked off, Terry Thompson picked up his phone and placed a wager with FanDuel Sportsbook on his favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was his first time gambling through an app, and he soon started placing microbets, which are in-game wagers on something as small as whether the next play would be a pass or run.
He grew addicted to the effortless, rapid-fire action. Every game, every quarter, every play — click, click, click. Thompson would ultimately wager $18.5 million with FanDuel, earning him VIP status with the company. That meant exclusive perks, from champagne to Super Bowl tickets, which made him feel important and enticed him to continue gambling.
By late November 2024, Thompson had incurred steep losses and resorted to desperate measures to fund his addiction. Then, one afternoon, he flicked open his phone and received a FanDuel reward that momentarily distracted him from his debts: a personalized video message from Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper.
The Inquirer obtained a copy of the 21-second video. In it, Harper addresses Thompson by name and acknowledges Thompson’s young son. Harper ends by thanking Thompson for his support.
Harper is not wearing any FanDuel merchandise, but the video is marked with the company’s logo, and Harper mentions that he was reaching out at the request of Thompson’s VIP manager, “your host Bryttanni at FanDuel,” who wanted to ensure that Thompson had an “extra special Thanksgiving.”
Professional sports leaders had long recoiled at having any association with gambling. But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could legalize sports betting, and each league now has lucrative partnerships with sportsbook companies, whose advertisements can be easily found in stadiums and arenas, and during game broadcasts.
Still, league officials preach about the importance of protecting the integrity of their games and have rules that are designed to maintain distance between professional athletes and bettors. Although Major League Baseball’s policy does not explicitly reference interactions with VIP gamblers, Harper’s personal message to a bettor — apparently arranged by an employee of a major sportsbook — is a unique test of how cozy the league will allow players to get with gambling companies.
There is no evidence that Harper has an official partnership with FanDuel, or was aware that Thompson had an addiction.
The Inquirer could find no other examples of an active athlete recording a personal message to a sportsbook VIP customer who, by definition, had to be regularly betting large sums of money.
The Inquirer shared the video with Scott Boras, Harper’s longtime agent, and asked if he or Harper would discuss how FanDuel had obtained the video.
Boras declined to comment.
The Inquirer also shared the video with the Phillies and MLB. Both declined to comment, and the players union did not respond to a request for comment.
Multiple experts familiar with the fraught intersection of professional sports and the gambling industry said that while Harper does not explicitly encourage gambling in the video, it still raises concerns.
Danny Funt, who researched sportsbook VIP programs for his 2026 book, Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling, said in an email that VIP bettors sometimes get to hang out with former athletes. He cited former San Diego Charger LaDainian Tomlinson, who worked in retirement for DraftKings, as one example.
But the Harper video is entirely different, he said.
Harper, a nine-time All-Star and two-time MVP, has been one of baseball’s most marketable stars throughout his 15-year career.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“I’ve never heard of an active player, let alone a former MVP, doing something like this,” Funt said.
Leigh Steinberg — an agent who represents Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and whose past clients included MLB All-Stars Manny Ramirez and Will Clark — called the Harper video “bad for sports.”
Steinberg said if one of his clients approached him about doing promotional work of any kind for a sportsbook company, he would advise them to walk away.
“It’s not good for your brand,” he said. “It’s exploitative and it’s not the sort of activity you want to be associated with.”
MLB’s collective bargaining agreement, which is set to expire in December, allows athletes to appear in advertisements or make personal appearances for casinos, racetracks, or sportsbook companies, so long as the ballplayers do not encourage betting on baseball.
NFL players are prohibited from marketing or promoting “any form of gambling” under the league’s current collective bargaining agreement.
The NBA, meanwhile, allows its players to own a passive ownership stake — less than 1% — in sportsbook and prediction market companies, and engage in promotional work for gambling companies, provided they do not encourage betting on basketball. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James appeared in advertisements for DraftKings.
Harper, 33, has been one of baseball’s most marketable players throughout his 15-year career. He has had endorsement deals with many companies, including Under Armour, Gatorade, Dairy Queen, and Blind Barber, a chain of barbershops and lounges of which Harper owns an equity stake.
He has also been famously unafraid of the spotlight, openly discussing everything from his Mormon faith — which prohibits gambling and alcohol use — to perceived criticism from his boss.
Professional sports leagues that once vehemently opposed any association with gambling enterprises have now embraced lucrative partnerships with sportsbook operators. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Jodi Balsam, a former NFL attorney who is now a sports law professor at Brooklyn Law School, said even if Harper’s video does not violate baseball policy, it raises ethical questions about the league’s relationship with gambling companies, whose business practices are facing increasing scrutiny from state and federal lawmakers.
“The first question I would have is, was [the Harper video] done by the sportsbook company precisely because they know they have an addicted gambler on their hands, and they’re trying to wring every cent out of him that they can?” Balsam asked.
FanDuel did not respond to a request for comment.
Balsam’s question is at the center of a lawsuit that attorneys for the nonprofit Public Health Advocacy Institute filed in March in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia on behalf of Thompson and another plaintiff. The suit alleges that FanDuel and DraftKings, another sportsbook company, use their products and VIP services to intentionally maximize addiction.
Harper is not named in the lawsuit.
Thompson, whose attorneys declined to make him available for this story, details the depths of his gambling addiction in his lawsuit.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was sentenced in 2025 to 57 months in federal prison for illegally transferring nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank accounts to pay off gambling debts. Kyusung Gong
He alleges that he covered his losses by taking out second and third mortgages on his home, which later fell into foreclosure, and then sold his shares of an investment company that he had run for two decades.
By late February, Thompson’s suit claims, he wagered and lost his last $10,000 on a DraftKings parlay bet.
His losses totaled nearly $2 million, according to the lawsuit. Desperate and feeling like he could not confess the scope of his financial ruin to his family, Thompson texted his therapist, who then contacted the police. Officers raced to Thompson’s home and prevented him from harming himself.
Balsam said Thompson’s tragic story should give sports leagues and its players pause.
“Is this the kind of activity that either the union or the league want their players to be associated with,” Balsam said, “if it leads to addictive and self-destructive behaviors by a fan?”
How MLB’s betting stance changed
“People know gambling is deadly,” Allan H. “Bud” Selig said. “I don’t have to conduct focus groups.”
It was November 2012, and Selig, then MLB’s commissioner, was being deposed for nearly three hours in Milwaukee. A lawsuit instigated by then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sought to overturn a longstanding federal law that restricted legal sports betting to just four states.
Major League Baseball longtime commissioner Bud Selig (center) argued in a 2012 deposition that widespread legalized sports gambling would be harmful to baseball. He was later succeeded by Rob Manfred (left), who has overseen partnerships between the league and sportsbook companies. Bebeto Matthews
Baseball’s leaders had sought for decades to avoid recurrences of past gambling scandals that had threatened the integrity of the sport. Selig had maintained the hard line of his predecessors, perhaps most notably by upholding the league’s 1989 lifetime ban of former Phillies first baseman Pete Rose, who was found to have bet on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds.
Selig said he understood why state lawmakers would welcome the tax revenue that widespread legalized sports gambling could generate. But he argued such a development could only increase the odds of new baseball betting crises, which would be “the end of your sport.”
“I’m just — guess I have to say to you that I’m appalled,” Selig said in the deposition. “I’m really appalled.”
In 2019, MLB — led by a new commissioner, Rob Manfred — entered into its first partnership agreement with FanDuel.
Manfred sent a memo to players outlining the league’s gambling policy. At that time, it prohibited players from performing services “in any capacity involving sports betting for any third party,” a categorization that included “promoting or endorsing sports betting products or services.”
A new collective bargaining agreement, reached in 2022, allowed players to do promotional work for sportsbooks. Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon soon became the first professional baseball player to secure a deal as a brand ambassador for a sportsbook company.
Not everyone affiliated with MLB has welcomed the new relationships between the league and gambling entities.
“We’re entering a very delicate and, dare I say, dangerous world here,” Tony Clark, then president of the players union, told reporters in 2022.
MLB gave a lifetime ban in 1989 to former Phillie Pete Rose for betting on baseball while he was the manager of the Reds.Anonymous
Two years later, MLB Players Inc. — a licensing and marketing subsidiary of the players union — filed a lawsuit that accused DraftKings of using without permission or compensation photos of MLB stars on its betting app and in social media posts. FanDuel and Bet365 were also named as defendants in the suit.
Harper figured prominently in the lawsuit. The complaint against DraftKings, filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, included images of Harper’s face on the DraftKings app and a reference to a hypothetical wager on Harper hitting two home runs in a game. Attorneys also mentioned Harper in later courtroom arguments.
Being able to control how their names, images, and likenesses are used is a “crucial return on their substantial career investment,” the players’ attorneys wrote in the complaint. “It also enables athletes to avoid being associated with companies, commercial products, and industries that they do not wish to be perceived as supporting and endorsing.”
(The union ultimately dropped its case against FanDuel, and the lawsuit was settled earlier this year for undisclosed terms.)
In May 2024 — five months before FanDuel sent Harper’s video message to Terry Thompson — Manfred fired umpire Pat Hoberg for sharing a sportsbook account with a professional poker player who placed bets on baseball.
An investigation found no evidence that Hoberg himself had bet on baseball, Manfred later said. But the existence of the shared account — and the fact the umpire had deleted Telegram messages between himself and the poker player — created the “appearance of impropriety that warrants imposing the most severe discipline.” Hoberg appealed his dismissal but lost.
A year later, Bud Selig’s stark warning materialized.
Former Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase has been accused by federal investigators of conspiring with bettors in exchange for financial kickbacks.Charles LeClaire, IMAGN IMAGES v
Federal authorities indicted Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz, and accused each of conspiring with bettors.
Clase and Ortiz “agreed to throw specific types and speeds of pitches” prior to games, and bettors wagered on those pitches, the indictment states. In exchange, the bettors wired thousands of dollars to the pitchers through a third party in the Dominican Republic. Clase and Ortiz have each pleaded not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and related charges and are awaiting trial. MLB has placed them on paid nondisciplinary leave.
That same year, Ippei Mizuhara, a former translator for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for illegally transferring nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay Mizuhara’s gambling debts.
Those episodes have not resulted in baseball’s demise, as Selig had once imagined. But they also did not rupture MLB’s relationship with gambling entities, which collected a record $165 billion in sports wagers in 2025.
As part of negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement with MLB, the players union recently asked the league for to grant players more freedom to seek endorsements from sportsbook operators and prediction markets, ESPN reported.
The VIP treatment
FanDuel awards five points for every dollar that a bettor pays on a contest entry fee. To achieve VIP status, bettors must amass 600,000 points, which expire after a year of inactivity.
“But don’t worry,” the company explains on its website, “it’s easy to stay active.”
Terry Thompson earned a FanDuel VIP manager, Bryttanni Morgan, in 2021, court records show.
Morgan texted Thompson often about the fortunes of the Eagles, commiserating over the team’s ups and downs. Their conversations also veered into more personal terrain — favorite restaurants, travel plans, and family.
A FanDuel VIP manager allegedly offered tickets to Super Bowl LVII to bettor Terry Thompson, an Eagles fan who had a gambling addiction.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
FanDuel’s intention, Thompson’s attorneys allege, was for Thompson to believe that Morgan was his friend.
Their exchanges often returned to Thompson’s betting activity. Morgan encouraged him to place more wagers, even when he showed signs of financial strain, the lawsuit states.
Morgan is named as a defendant in Thompson’s lawsuit. Her attorney could not be reached for comment.
In late December 2022, after Thompson had suffered more losses, Morgan texted him: “Are we gonna take a little break and start fresh in the New Year?”
“I’ll try,” Thompson wrote back, adding a smiley face symbol.
A few weeks later, on Jan. 13, 2023, Morgan offered a FanDuel VIP perk: two tickets to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona — where Thompson’s beloved Eagles would face the Kansas City Chiefs — along with free transportation, and tickets to Sports Illustrated and FanDuel parties.
On other occasions, Morgan provided Thompson with tickets to Eagles, Flyers, and Sixers games. FanDuel also flew Thompson and his son to Super Bowl LVI in California, with pregame access to the playing field and celebrities like Chris Rock.
Funt, the author, said he has major concerns about how the VIP programs are used to ensnare gamblers.
“They exist to egg on a reckless and potentially dangerous style of betting, using perks and other incentives that would be borderline irresistible for many sports fans,” he said. “I can only imagine how someone who loves Bryce Harper would feel indebted (no pun intended) to a sportsbook that facilitated a personalized video from him.”
Leigh Steinberg said he had not heard of other instances of sportsbook companies using active athletes to send greetings to a bettor.
“Because it’s not public, it’s hard to understand whether it’s ubiquitous or an exception,” he said.
Leigh Steinberg has represented numerous NFL stars, from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to NFL Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Steve Young.Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee / MCT
But Steinberg, who publicly struggled with an addiction to alcohol, argues that interactions between athletes and bettors who wager heavily on sports are inherently problematic.
“Getting a phone call or a zoom or a Cameo from a highly placed player is so flattering,” he said. “It’s stacking the deck unfairly in favor of continuing addicting behavior.”
The glamour of Thompson’s Super Bowl trips and brushes with celebrities had long since faded when he reached the nadir of his gambling earlier this year.
There were no more offers of free betting credits to be had, or microbets to chase.
Broke and broken, Thompson entered a psychiatric facility to undergo treatment for gambling addiction.
The Inquirer will continue to report on issues related to the growth of gambling addiction — among teens and adults — across Pennsylvania. If you, or someone you know, wants to speak with a reporter, please contact David Gambacorta or William Bender at dgambacorta@inquirer.com and wbender@inquirer.com
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the university where Jodi Balsam works as a law professor. She works at Brooklyn Law School.
Donald Trump has turned a questionable red card call in a soccer game into a red herring in international sports — just by using his position, as a humble fan, to give the FIFA president a quick call. He is laughing at the whole world now, not just us Americans, at the simplicity of shocking heads around the world. His shamelessness is costly, and we Americans pay dearly for it. In our domestic politics, GOP politicians no longer speak of deficits, small government, law and order, or even family values. In foreign relations, with Trump’s leadership, the “shining city upon a hill” is fading. Coming to America is less attractive to those yearning to be free, and our nation’s version of diplomacy is doing little more than showing the rest of the world that America is an unreliable gadabout.
Wayne Williams,Malvern
. . .
Last week, after a FIFA World Cup referee issued a harsh, game-disqualifying red card to the U.S.’s star player, Folarin Balogun, President Donald Trump quickly stepped in. After his complaints to FIFA leadership, the call was shockingly reversed. As is almost always the case with his gratuitous intrusions, every possible ill-considered outcome occurred. A joyous, global festival of sport became contentious, and the underdog U.S. team was diminished and tainted. This was a lose-lose situation for the U.S. team — regardless of the outcome. Think about it: If the U.S. won with Balogun on the pitch, the soccer world could say: ”Of course they won. The bully Trump got them their best player back.” If they lost, the response would be, “They couldn’t even win after Trump unfairly put his hand on the scale for them.” On Monday night, they did lose to Belgium, their exciting, unifying 2026 FIFA World Cup run now only a footnote to the Trump-generated red card debacle. As usual, with his reflexive, unwarranted interference in any situation, everyone loses.
Joseph B. Baker,Honey Brook
. . .
The mob boss tried to rig the game, but it backfired — and he gave the opposition all the motivation they needed. Plus, he put his favored team in an untenable situation, making it a game they couldn’t win, regardless of the outcome. They played like they knew it. Karma is tough to overcome.
Bill Maginnis,North Wales
The people prevail
It is refreshing to witness the way Americans have embraced the international soccer community in our cities and towns. Coming together to welcome visitors from all over the world for this event is the kind of civic engagement we are capable of if left to our own instincts. When compared with the divisive rhetoric, the self-dealing, and the self-aggrandizing fiascos of our current president, it becomes evident that things work out better for us as long as Donald Trump is not involved. It is sad to think that the president of the United States — who holds a position long regarded as the most respected in the world — must now be prevented from ruining what’s left of the White House and the grand democratic experiment that it represents. But at the same time, it is truly amazing to experience the spirit of friendship and generosity of the actual people of this republic.
Patrick J. Ream,Millville
Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Someone drops the ball — inconvenient but understandable. You could turn it into a larger statement about their character, or you could chalk it up to being human. Giving people the room to be imperfect is a keystone of social grace.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Today requires a measure of courage. Were you not so brave, you could stay home, watch a show, live vicariously. But that’s not you. So up and out into the world you go, and you return home tonight better for the effort.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’re quick to help when someone asks. Look beyond the request itself. A person’s sense of urgency does not always reflect the reality of the situation. Before offering your time, energy or resources, make sure they’re truly needed.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You have many kinds of love to give and you’re generous with it. Whether it’s compassion, friendship, fandom, romance or something else, you give freely without requiring they love you back, pay it forward or even be gracious receivers. That’s true love.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Someone responds to you as the person you’ve become, not the person you used to be. It’s a subtle moment, but a meaningful one. The effort you’ve invested in yourself is beginning to show.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). With Venus now in your realm, affection is purposeful. Love and follow-through go hand in hand. Your timely responses and practical support are received as a message: “I like you.” You’ll complete a task for someone; is this you flirting?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You saw the missing piece. Now the tricky part: How do you bring it up to the others without making them feel like you’re showing off, or they’re underperforming or being unobservant? A question may accomplish more than a declaration.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’re so thoughtful today, remembering what people like, checking back on what matters to them, anticipating their needs… how do you know how to do all this? Practice. You have practiced being not just the server, but the served.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Fun facts and trivia are fodder for small talk, but your favorite is learning something that serves a practical purpose. Today’s nugget becomes useful almost immediately, giving you one of those satisfying moments when knowledge turns into capability.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Your name comes up in a room you’re not even in. Someone needs a capable person and someone else recommends you. But of course. It’s not you consciously building a reputation. It’s the natural goodness of you being you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re warm. This we know. Now comes the part where warmth becomes stewardship. You follow through. You make sure that, in the weeks to come, resources, talents and relationships flourish on your watch.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You know someone likes you because they care to return your calls, show up where they said they will and do what they said they’d do — plus a little extra. Notice what they make easier for you. Your appreciation encourages more of the same.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 9). It’s your Year of the Cowrie Shell. For centuries, cowrie shells served as currency across parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific and became symbols of wealth, fertility and protection. The treasure of small things collect into substantial abundance. More highlights: Love notes, applauding audiences, and affirmations that your work moves people. Perfect financial partners. You’ll seize learning and travel opportunities. Gemini and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 19, 20, 1 and 17.
DEAR ABBY: At 82, my father continues to live alone and unassisted. He’s generally in good health but is starting to recognize that he won’t be forever. One thing he really wants to do while he still can (or thinks he can) is take a road trip — by himself — to visit his sister on the other side of the country.
He regularly does shorter drives (two to three hours) and figures if he takes his time, he can make the 2,000-mile journey by doing many short stretches over a few days. I think it is a colossally bad idea. He is underestimating the fatigue he’s going to experience after a long day of driving and is forgetting how much extra energy it takes to navigate in an unfamiliar place. I’m worried he’s going to get in an accident or get lost.
After telling him all that, and that he’s got better options, I offered to pay for a plane ticket. But he doesn’t like the idea of trying to navigate an airport (which makes no sense to me compared to driving), or trying to drive an unfamiliar rental car when he arrives. I’ve suggested going with him, but he wants to stay for a long visit, and there isn’t room for me at my aunt’s.
Dad has got his mind set on this trip, and I’m worried he’s going to leave without telling anyone he’s going. If I can’t reason with him, what can I do? We don’t live close to each other, and I don’t have any right to take his keys, but this is nuts, right?
— SEES A DISASTER IN OHIO
DEAR SEES: Whether you or I think your father’s plan is nuts is beside the point. He is going to make the trip. However, this does not mean you cannot have some input and assurances.
Help your father plan and map out his trip. Note what hotels or motels there are along the way and help him make reservations. Then get his promise to call you every evening when he checks in so you can know he is all right. It may take some work on your part, but the reassurance of being able to track his progress would be priceless.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My youngest child (early teens) has a hard time making and keeping friends, but he made a new friend three weeks ago. I have met the mom once, briefly, and mostly texted to discuss timing for plans with my kid and hers.
The mom keeps asking me for money. Our stories are similar, and I’ve filled her in — divorced, single mom, no contact with ex, no support. Most recently, she texted me asking for gas money and additional money to help fund a trip out of state for a funeral. I may live in a nice house, but I have no help in paying for it plus all the other life expenses. I’ve told her as much, but I still get these requests.
I don’t want to be rude to her, but I feel like my next step is to be blunt. However, I don’t want to risk hurting the friendship between the kids. How do I make it clear without doing damage?
— DOLLARS AND SENSE
DEAR D & S: Resist the urge to be blunt. Simply tell the woman nicely that you don’t have funds to give her at this time. When she asks again, repeat as necessary.
CINCINNATI — Each time a Reds player clubs a home run at Great American Ball Park, fireworks are released from the smokestacks in the outfield.
By the end of the fourth inning of Wednesday’s11-5 Phillies loss, it was fair to wonder if Cincinnati’s supply might be running low. Because the Reds blasted four homers in the inning, including three consecutive off lefty Tanner Banks, leading to a lot of pyrotechnics.
Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and JJ Bleday went back-to-back-to-back off poorly located pitches from Banks, who took over for Alan Rangel with one out in the inning. Rangel, who was recalled earlier on Wednesday to start the Phillies’ bullpen game, had already given up a leadoff homer from Noelvi Marte to start the fourth.
“At the end of the day,” Banks said, “I just need to be better at making those pitches.”
The blowout exposed two glaring weaknesses on the Phillies roster: a lack of depth in starting pitching and left-handed relief pitchers. It marked the club’s ninth consecutive loss in games started by the fifth spot of the rotation, a streak that includes Andrew Painter’s last five appearances before he was optioned in June.
While the front end of their rotation has multiple aces, the Phillies do not have a true No. 5 starter. And the lack of depth means the team would be in a truly precarious position in the event of an injury.
Justin Crawford’s RBI triple in the second inning put the Phillies ahead.Carolyn Kaster
But what really doomed the Phillies on Wednesday was the Reds running up the score on two of their three left-handed relievers. After Banks’ collapse in the fourth, José Alvarado also gave up four runs in the sixth inning. Banks and Alvarado left the ballpark dragging ERAs of 7.14 and 7.03, respectively.
“Tonight, it didn’t look very good. We’ve really probably been searching for that more than anything through the course of this season,” said interim manager Don Mattingly.
After Kyle Backhus was optioned on Tuesday following his own struggles, Tim Mayza is the only other left-handed option in the Phillies’ pen. Mayza pitched a scoreless eighth after sidestepping a double.
Mayza, who was a nonroster invitee to spring training, lowered his season ERA to 2.81. But the Phillies need more than just one reliable lefty reliever.
The expectations were high for Banks and Alvarado entering the season. In 2025, Banks had pitched his way into higher-leverage opportunities with a 3.07 ERA. But this season, he is experiencing more frustration than at any point of his career.
“I think if I were to try to put my finger on one thing, I would say maybe a bit of … being a one-trick pony,” Banks said. “Like throwing a lot of the same stuff in the same place, and it’s hard to get someone out when you’re doing the same thing over and over again.”
Banks said he feels like this year, he has given hitters the same look too many times in the same at-bat, which allows them to adjust and square him up.
“He’s just missing, not getting the ball where he’s trying to get it to,” Mattingly said.
Interim manager Don Mattingly pointed to José Alvarado’s batting average on balls in play of .449 — a career high — as an explanation for his overall numbers this season. Nick Wass
The manager views Alvarado’s struggles somewhat differently. The lefty struggled to find the zone Wednesday, issuing consecutive walks to start the sixth inning. A single, another walk, and a bases-clearing double sank the Phillies into a seven-run hole before Alvarado could end the rally with a strikeout.
But Mattingly pointed to Alvarado’s batting average on balls in play of .449 — a career high — as an explanation for his overall numbers this season.
“Alvy’s been, I’d say, more inconsistent than bad,” Mattingly said. “His stuff is still good. We were looking at it today, actually. The batted ball stuff is actually not bad. So it looks like he’s probably been better than his numbers show, but still, obviously, he’s been inconsistent with giving up runs.”
Alvarado said he feels healthy, which is what gives him confidence he can bounce back.
“Things are not going my way right now,” he said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “In that regard, it’s just about controlling what you can control, getting back to work, working harder, improving, and let’s just hope things turn around for me.”
The Phillies’ offense had its chances against Reds starter Chase Burns. The 23-year-old, who is poised to make his first All-Star appearance next week, issued a career-high six walks. But those walks — plus three hits — only translated to three runs, slightly raising Burns’ season ERA to 2.54.
In total, the Phillies left 10 men on base. J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber each hit solo home runs off Cincinnati relievers, but the two big innings against Banks and Alvarado put the game out of reach.
“I’ll never give up,” Alvarado said. “It’s just going out there, giving the best of myself every time I’m on the mound. I’ve been through this before. I’ve gotten out of this before.”
A sergeant with the Salem County Sheriff’s Office has been charged in connection with the deaths of two K-9 dogs who were left for seven hours in an unattended hot patrol vehicle, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Cody Henderson, 41, was charged Tuesday with two counts of recklessly causing bodily injury to a living animal, and related offenses, including unnecessary cruelty to animals, Salem County Prosecutor Kristin J. Telsey said.
According to the complaint filed against Henderson, surveillance video showed the K-9 handler arriving to work on May 29 shortly before 8:30 a.m. in his county issued 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe with Rip, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, and Boomer, a 6-year-old springer spaniel.
Henderson did not return to the vehicle until just after 3:30 p.m. and found both dogs dead in his patrol vehicle, prosecutors said.
He then transported the two dogs to an animal hospital in Delaware, prosecutors said.
Later that evening, the sheriff’s office notified the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office about the K-9 deaths.
Necropsies conducted on both dogs determined that they likely died from heat stroke with no evidence of other causes, prosecutors said.
There was no evidence that a K-9 heat alarm “Hot-N-Pop” device in the vehicle malfunctioned, and that it was “presumably turned off on the above date,” the complaint said.
The “Hot-N-Pop” device lowers windows and triggers sirens and flashing lights if the interior of a vehicle is too hot.
Henderson could be reached for comment.
In a statement posted on social media, Salem County Sheriff Charles M. Miller wrote that Henderson had been charged in connection with the “deaths of his assigned canine partners.”
Rip and Boomer “exemplified the highest standards of service, loyalty, and dedication. Their contributions to public safety and their commitment to duty will not be forgotten. The loss of these loyal partners has had a profound impact on our agency, our law enforcement community, and the citizens they faithfully served,” Miller said.
“We continue to honor the memory and service of Rip and Boomer and extend our thoughts to all those affected by this tragic loss,” Miller said.
CINCINNATI — Interim manager Don Mattingly briefly considered putting Brandon Marsh back at leadoff.
The No. 1 spot in the lineup was vacant on Wednesday against the Reds as Trea Turner was due for a day off. The Phillies shortstop has been “a little banged up in the lower half,” according to Mattingly.
Marsh previously batted leadoff against the Marlins on June 16, while Turner was down with a bruised wrist. But this time, Bryce Harper — who typically prefers to hit No. 3 — went to hitting coach Kevin Long and volunteered to lead off against righty Chase Burns.
It marks Harper’s first time in the leadoff spot since Sept. 8, 2025.
“I don’t mind it,” Mattingly said. “I mean, he comes up quicker than anybody else.”
Marsh instead moved to No. 3 in the order, offering protection to Kyle Schwarber at No. 2. The Phillies stacked four straight lefties — Harper, Schwarber, Marsh, and Bryson Stott — at the top of Wednesday’s lineup to combat the right-handed Burns, who entered Wednesday with a 2.40 ERA. The 23-year-old debuted last season and earned his first career All-Star selection this year.
“Hopefully we can just keep throwing those lefties at him, get some hanging sliders, or try to put some damage on him,” Mattingly said.
Brad Keller was activated from the injured list on Wednesday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Brad Keller reinstated
Right-handed reliever Brad Keller was activated from the injured list on Wednesday to give the Phillies a reinforcement for their bullpen game against the Reds. As a corresponding move, Seth Johnson was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies need a reliable setup arm as a bridge to closer Jhoan Duran, and Keller was signed in the offseason to be just that. But Keller, who Mattingly said had been dealing with nagging forearm tendinitis for a while before hitting the injured list, has a 4.15 ERA this year.
Orion Kerkering, who has the most eighth-inning appearances for the Phillies this year, walked the bases loaded on Tuesday night against the Reds. Jonathan Bowlan entered the game and stranded all three runners with a strikeout, but it’s not the only time Kerkering has found himself in that situation recently. Kerkering also walked the bases loaded June 28 against the Mets, though he battled back to end the inning without damage.
“We like him, his stuff is good, but you got to throw strikes to the point where you trust your stuff, and you got to get in the zone,” Mattingly said of Kerkering. “We still like his stuff and where he’s been, but obviously the walks are something you hate seeing late in the game.”
He hopes a fully healthy Keller could be a big asset for the Phillies bullpen.
“The bounce back is different when you’re feeling that kind of stuff, because then the next day, you’re not feeling great, you’re just taking another day to recover, and it’s putting pressure on another guy,” Mattingly said. “So, looking forward to having him healthy, not worried about what his stuff’s going to look like. It’s going to be good.”
Extra bases
Lou Trivino III was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a right thoracic muscle spasm. Alan Rangel was recalled to fill his spot on the 26-man roster and started Wednesday’s bullpen game. … The Abbott Elementary episode that Schwarber appeared in during Season 5 — after hitting four homers in a game — received Emmy recognition on Wednesday. Randall Einhorn was nominated for his outstanding direction for a comedy series for the episode. … Fresh off his All-Star selection, Jesús Luzardo (7-4, 3.75 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale against Reds right-hander Brady Singer (3-8, 5.03).
