One thing that makes the NFL unique is that the best teams don't always play in the biggest markets. Consider that the Seahawks, the reigning Super Bowl champions, play in Seattle.
The Chiefs, winners of three Super Bowls since 2019, play in Kansas City. In addition, the team with the longest active streak of seasons reaching the Playoffs is the Bills, who play in Buffalo. Seattle (13th), Kansas City (33rd), and Buffalo (54th) are all outside the Top 10 in the 2025 Nielsen DMA (Designated Market Area) Rankings, according to the United States TV Database.
This is why the NFL is the greatest league in the world. You don't have to be in a big market to have the best fanbase. The Seahawks, the Chiefs, and the Bills all have great fanbases. As do the Bengals, with Cincinnati ranking 37th in the aforementioned rankings.
The Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index recently unveiled its top five teams, with the Bengals checking in at No. 4 on the list.
It's the first year of the study, which, as Cincinnati Enquirer Sports Editor Jason Hoffman notes, is a "comprehensive study that moves beyond simple headcount to identify where the sport's pulse beats strongest, revealing that America's most avid fans are often found in the heart of its mid-sized legacy markets."

#super #bills #nielsen

Going back two seasons, Liverpool had one of the best squads in Europe. On paper, a lot of talent remains. Yet even accepting many players individually and collectively under-performed last season, the squad today looks well short of what Liverpool fans expected it to be at this stage.
Lacking depth and wildly imbalanced in places, with the season kicking off against Newcastle on Sunday and work still to be done in the transfer market, there's plenty of concern and consternation amongst the fanbase. New head coach Andoni Iraola, though, says that signings are coming.
"We will definitely sign some players," Iraola told Sky ahead of the opening round of the Premier League season. "Some deals you have to wait until the end, but the end is the important part of the picture, the one we will have on September first, because it is true that we are still quite thin."
In the past, Liverpool managers have tended not to explicitly say signings are coming, tending to stick to more vague promises about the club always looking for opportunities to improve and similar. The question then is if a shift in how potential transfers get discussed is just how Iraola communicates.
Alternately, it could be an acceptance of the trust gap that has begun to grow between fanbase and club watching so many of the gains of the Klopp era seeming to have been taken apart—at times almost consciously so—since Michael Edwards returned and named Richard Hughes sporting director.

#many

The Brooklyn Nets have had plenty of great players wear the Nets uniform over the history of the franchise, both in New Jersey and in their current home at Barclays Center. Brooklyn is hoping to put forth a better product for the fanbase next season after one of the worst seasons that the team has seen, but it could be time to note how many greats have played for the organization.
"Scoring comes so easy for him it's almost ridiculous, as Kevin Durant is a 7-footer with ballhandling, quickness and a pristine jumper that he can hit from legitimately anywhere on the floor," Frank Urbina wrote for HoopsHype when discussing Kevin Durant, the third-best small forward in NBA history. In addition to Durant, the next player also spent time with the Nets even though he is mostly known for his time with the Philadelphia 76ers.
"He was 26 by the time he made his NBA debut after years in the ABA, so Julius Erving would rank far higher in the statistical categories had he spent his whole career in the ***** ociation," Urbina wrote on Erving, affectionately known in NBA circles as Dr. J. Erving played for the Nets when the team was in New York, prior to moving to New Jersey, but there is one more player to mention on this top-20 small forward list.
"Paul Pierce was a beastly scorer in his prime, one who could fill it up from all three levels and score on even the most elite of defenders," Urbina wrote on Paul Pierce, who had already made his name known prior to coming to the Nets. In reference to this list, Durant ranked third, Erving ranked fourth, and Pierce is ranked as the 13th-best small forward in the history of the ***** ociation.
Ultimately, the Nets are still in the midst of their rebuild so next season may not pleasant for the fanbase to see given that some of the youngest players still have some growing to do. Regardless of how next season turns out, members of the Nets fanbase will be able to hold on to the fact that some of the greatest small forwards in NBA history played for their team.

#small #pierce #fanbase

Hannah McNair is hyping up Houston Texans fans ahead of the 2026 NFL campaign. McNair, who is married to principal owner Cal McNair, serves as the Chief Community Officer and Vice President of the Houston Texans Foundation.
In a recent video, it looks like she's taking community outreach to a new level.
McNair was spotted mingling with some fans when she showcased her love of Houston by breaking out the iconic Southside dance. The dance was created by the 1997 Houston hip-hop anthem "Southside," by Lil Keke.
Once she broke out the move and went viral, the internet and Texans fanbase lost its collective mind.
MORE: Predicting the AFC playoff teams ahead of the 2026-2027 NFL season

#community #fans

One of the most enjoyable aspects during this time of the year is the sky high expectations from fanbases. Every player is healthy (for the most part), every club is undefeated, and every league race is wide open. Except the Bundesliga, of course, where Bayern Munich reigns supreme. Luckily, betting and prediction site FanDuel is around to keep fans in line and provide a more realistic view of the upcoming season.
Let's take a look at how the oddsmakers are looking at Bayern Munich entering this season. Of course, clubs can plan for glory and fans can dream of it, but the oddsmakers are there to look at the reality of it all and set the pace for how things might play out.
Favorite: Bayern Munich (-800)
Once again, Bayern is a heavy favorite to three-peat on the domestic front. After last season's 122-goal campaign, Bayern reinforced the squad with Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown. There is nothing that suggests Bayern will slow down in the Bundesliga.
Best Value: RB Leipzig (+1600)

#favorite

During their wild roller coaster 2025 season, which included several comeback victories, the Chicago Bears energized the city and their fanbase to great lengths, also getting their first playoff victory since the 2010 season.
In head coach Ben Johnson's first season, Bears fans were going viral on social media for their celebrations. But after their loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoffs, no one in the Bears organization is resting on year of fun, including All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney.
Thuney's arrival was part of an extreme makeover to the offensive line ahead of the 2025 season, and as he went on to win the NFL's Protector of the Year award, the Bears offense went to another level with quarterback Caleb Williams. Recently, Thuney said he enjoyed all the viral moments the team and fans had last year, but that the team is not settling on their success from last year.
"It was special, so many videos after the game of close wins, seeing families hugging and crying together," Thuney said. "Chicago is such an iconic franchise, and it's great getting back into the playoffs, getting a win, and winning the NFC North. But there are still more things to achieve. ******* ody in this building is satisfied or resting on that. There's still a very strong, burning hunger to push for more and keep improving."
It's very clear the atmosphere that Johnson has created inside the Bears organization. And when it comes to Thuney, he's a leader in the locker room for reasons such as these comments. Chicago hopes to keep building on their 11-win season from 2025, and it is apparent that the team recognizes they'll need to sustain long-term success while also positioning themselves as Super Bowl contenders.

#season #Chicago #great

As the Kyle Whittingham era approaches for Michigan Football, what are the expectations for Year 1 for the new regime? Whittingham has amassed a successful coaching career already and has a talented roster at his disposal, but can he bring the Wolverines back to national prominence right away? Is an 8-4 season going to satisfy this ravenous fanbase?
Here are three things that would define a successful first year for Whittingham and company in Ann Arbor.
Michigan has yet to make the 12-team CFP field in the first two years of the format. Whittingham also never reached that stage at Utah, and it may very well be unrealistic to set the bar that high.
However, Whittingham also never had the resources now at his disposal at Michigan. And even in a loaded Big Ten, you can be far from perfect and still play meaningful football late in the year. Michigan's biggest tests on the schedule are Oklahoma, Indiana, at Oregon and at Ohio State. To reach the CFP, winning at least one of those is a necessity.
Regardless of how each game goes, Whittingham taking the Wolverines back to the CFP in his first season here would help re-establish them among the sport's elite.

#michigan #year #here

The growth of the Los Angeles Rams has been fascinating to watch as the team looked to build its new fanbase in Southern California, but bridging the gap between the franchise's past roots in the city and the vision of what the future could look like has been nothing short of a success so far.
Not only has the team made massive inroads within the city and its rapidly growing fan base, but their on-field success has grown the NFL's profile in Southern California to its most influential status yet. Despite the success, recent Nielsen ratings show the battle the Rams have to fight in a place that has everything to offer.
In its first-ever NFL Fandom Index, Los Angeles ranks 29th out of 30 for how avid NFL fans are in each market.
Some point to this as evidence of how passionate a city is about its team. It's important to note that Los Angeles is home to a multitude of professional sports teams, including the Los Angeles Chargers, along with a plethora of non-sporting events that other cities do not have access to.
Thus, drawing interest in a city that has everything to offer can be challenging, especially as a team that moved back to L.A. just 10 years ago.

#Rams

Things are always tense when the White Sox and Cubs get together to play for Chicago bragging rights. Even more so this week as both clubs have a real chance to win their respective divisions and an even better chance to make the playoffs.
The White Sox traveled up to the Friendly Confines on Monday night to kick off a three-game series and eventually found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-5 loss. Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong became the first Major Leaguer to hit a leadoff home run and a walk-off home run in the same game since 2010.
Not all of the most compelling action took place out on the playing surface of Wrigley Field and the rival fanbases did not mix well in the right field bleachers late in the game. A massive brawl broke out with the outcome still very much in doubt, drawing in an impressive number of involved parties and requiring significant security forces to break up.
The footage is pretty gnarly for a regular season baseball game.
One understands why these melees happen. And they are certainly not anything new as fans have been getting into it physically at sporting events ever since the first person said "play ball." Yet every time it's worth wondering how the heck all of these people who are implicated go on with their lives the next few days when they've gone viral for completely losing the plot and their cool.

#white #Cubs #play

A little over a month ago, Georgia Tech defensive lineman Tawfiq Thomas' made a viral social media post about his former team.
On Monday, the former Colorado Buffaloes transfer justified his remarks. Thomas is dressed in Georgia Tech game day gear from head to toe. Hat, jersey, uniform pants and cleats. However, there were additional elements that take this from a reasonable post to regrettable trolling.
The most noticeable is that Thomas is standing in front of a framed poster that shows the final score and stats from Georgia Tech's 27-20 victory over Colorado last season. This included is a countdown clock to the Week 1 match-up between the Buffs and Yellow Jackets. He tagged CU Football's official account and even made it Shedeur Sanders specific by including audio of Sanders' "Perfect Timing" song as well as corresponding lyrics.
The ploy by Thomas likely did not have the result he was hoping for. It might have been a friendly jab, but it was anything but effective. Perhaps during his time in Boulder, Thomas failed to grasp the built-in Sanders fanbase. Established Buffaloes fans might be less likely to engage a player who is no longer with the program. Sanders fans, on the other hand, are all too happy to check receipts and push back.
Following Thomas' original tweet from July 20, the critics showed up in droves. Some of the comments were of the 'act like a professional' variety, while others were much more direct and insulting. Many of the keyboard warriors that patrol social media in an effort to protect Deion Sanders and the Buffs wasted no time responding. Colorado alum Matt McChesney also addressed the post on his Zero2Sixty podcast.

#thomas #post

The NFL season will sometimes show us what we want to see from players; other times, we may see something bad when it isn't there. For fans and media, it's essential to have a way to verify and balance information to prevent favoritism or bias from being portrayed in a negative light.
Thanks to PFF, we will always have an extra set of eyes to examine the football game. One of the things they have provided plenty of this offseason and into the preseason has been rankings. The latest batch of rankings centered around the top offensive lines in the NFL.
Sadly, for the Browns and their fanbase, they ranked the team's unit second to last in the league. The only group that was designated as being lower than them was the Washington Commanders.
They explain the low ranking, writing, "The Browns are starting four new players on their offensive line this season, and there should be some hope for the future with the selection of left tackle Spencer Fano early in the 2025 NFL Draft. It will take time for him to develop, though, so expectations shouldn't be too high for him as a rookie. Center Elgton Jenkins is the best player in this group for now and, with a PFF pass-blocking grade above 67.0 in each of his seven seasons in the NFL, should give them a strong presence in the middle of the line."
The Browns knew their offensive line was going to need to be rebuilt in 2026, and general manager Andrew Berry and his staff did that. There are young and veteran pieces alike, and they could easily outperform the 31st spot they found themselves in based on potential on paper.

#players

We really aren't gonna escape this weird Indiana-Notre Dame… thing anytime soon, huh?
The Hoosiers and Fighting Irish are in the news again, this time because Curt Cignetti was asked about it during an appearance on Big Ten Network this past weekend.
"Yeah, I'd like to play Notre Dame," Cignetti said. "They oughta come to our place twice, we'll go up there once, since they're not in a conference. I'd love to play them. It'd be a great in-state game."
Indiana came under fire earlier this month when it was reported that the Hoosiers asked out of an existing home-and-home series against Notre Dame set for 2030 and 2031, a move that several members of the former fanbase approved of.
Cignetti's comments have the media machine up and running again, just in time for some preseason storylines.

#hoosiers

The Dallas Cowboys may not have made a "splash signing" in the traditional offseason sense, but make no mistake: this is a significant moment for both the franchise and Texas A&M's football community.
Von Miller has been open for years about wanting to play in Dallas. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have been searching for a seasoned pass rusher who could stabilize the edge, mentor their young defenders, and bring championship‑level experience into the locker room. For now, it feels like a match made in football heaven, with both sides getting exactly what they've been looking for.
Whether this partnership becomes a long‑term success story or simply a short‑term boost remains to be seen. Miller is entering the twilight of his career, and the Cowboys are navigating a roster that's shifting under them. But the move is undeniably noteworthy not just because of Miller's resume, but because of what his presence represents for a team trying to stay competitive in a loaded NFC.
And as expected, the moment the news broke, NFL fans across the league jumped in with their reactions. Cowboys fans celebrated the addition of a future Hall of Famer. Aggies fans took pride in seeing one of their greatest defensive players land with one of the most visible franchises in sports. Rival fanbases chimed in with skepticism, jokes, and hot takes about Miller's age, his production, and whether Dallas is getting the "real" Von Miller or just the name.
That's the beauty of a move like this: it doesn't just shift a depth chart. It sparks conversation, debate, and emotion across the NFL landscape. And when a player of Miller's stature changes teams, especially to a franchise as polarizing as the Cowboys, the reaction is always loud.

#dallas

The Chargers' 27-7 preseason victory over the Texans ignited the usual August hyperbole, turning an exhibition opener into a certified hype machine.
A handful of standout performances have fans wildly extrapolating the team's regular-season potential. From instant quarterback controversies to the defensive side of the ball, the fanbase is already running wild with a few major overreactions.
Here are four of them:
Trey Lance started the game but struggled, throwing some questionable passes, including a red-zone interception to Texans rookie Kamari Ramsey. DJ Uiagalelei stepped in and looked like the sharper quarterback, throwing for 120 yards and a three-yard touchdown pass to Devonte Ross, leading many to claim Uiagalelei as QB2. The reality is that while Uiagalelei has had a strong summer and a solid preseason performance, he hasn't done anything notable enough to surpass Lance just yet.
Johnson, the second-year running back, racked up 85 scrimmage yards, two rushing touchdowns, and a successful two-point conversion. He also broke free for a 55-yard reception. If the Chargers only roll with three backs, Johnson will have a tough time earning a spot on the 53-man roster with Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal in front of him. He is undoubtedly in the mix for a practice squad spot alongside Jaret Patterson and rookie Greg Desrosiers.

#rookie

Deion Sanders has never done things the conventional way, and his latest rules for fall training camp put him right back in the national crosshairs. When Coach Prime restricted standard media access, national sports commentators quickly jumped on the story, accusing him of trying to control the press and shield his team from tough questions.
While national pundits tore into the decision, a voice deep within the Colorado football family offered a very different perspective. Liz Munsterteiger, whose late husband, Adam, spent over two decades covering the Buffaloes before his passing in May 2026, shared a clear, thoughtful reflection on social media that cut through the noise.
Writing to the fanbase and media community, Liz admitted she was never the one drawing up X's and O's, but she knew the beat inside and out: "When I started this BuffStampede journey, I made it clear l'd never have the football knowledge to be one of the beat writers. That hasn't changed. But I do know what I witnessed over nine years of watching adamcm777 lose access to this team, bit by bit. I've been thinking about him a lot watching this whole "fight" over DeionSanders and CUBuffsFootball opening practice to media with restrictions," she tweeted.
"Adam covered this program for more than 20 years, through a lot of coaches and a lot of different eras of access. He'd find it insane that opening the gates more somehow became a story about shutting media out."
Deion Sanders keeps Colorado football in the conversation year round. Subscribe for more interesting stories.

#deion

The 2026 college football season is quickly nearing its opening kickoff, and ahead of the nation's favorite fall game, the sports media has been in overdrive publishing its preseason content.
Among them is ESPN writer David Hale, who recently ranked all 138 FBS teams into 19 distinct tiers. In his article, the Florida Gators landed among Tier 10, which he ****** led, "It has to get better. Right? Right?!?"
"Credit to Oklahoma State and Florida. They laid down their shovels after woeful 2025 campaigns and started climbing out with new head coaches... Jon Sumrall has talked the talk this offseason, winning over a beleaguered Florida fanbase that has seen a revolving door of once-successful coaches hit rock bottom in Gainesville."
While optimism is currently high in Gainesville entering the Sumrall era, the bar has been set low since Dan Mullen's departure, as exemplified by this particularly haunting stat.
"Florida is 29-37 since Marco Wilson threw a shoe against LSU in 2020. That's half a game worse than Rutgers over that same span."

#right

Just a few days ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off their 2026 season with an impressively lopsided 28-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers. While we must acknowledge that neither team featured its star players, nor the type of playcalling we can expect once the games start to count for real, it's also hard to introduce yourself to a new fanbase in a more impressive fashion than Mike McCarthy and his staff did on Thursday night.
This is going to be quite a meaty post with several clips to share and examine, so let's not beat around the bush. The following are highlights and lowlights of my impressions from the game. If any of these clips inspire some curiosity, or if you have any insights to add to the conversation, remember to get down in the comments section and join the conversation.
There's going to be a lot of positives we'll look at from this game, so let's start off with a dose of negativity before we wash things down with what went well.
The Steelers offensive line got off to a tough start on Thursday before settling in once both teams' reserves took over. Collectively, the Steelers allowed 10 pressures and 3 sacks in pass protection. Four of those pressures were at the hands of the starting lineup — Troy Fautanu (2), Mason McCormick (1), and Dylan Cook (1) — and a fifth pressure was credited to running back Travis Homer, who started the game with both Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle in street clothes for this game. The rushing attack managed just 2.7 yards per carry. And Fautanu was tagged for both a false start penalty and an offensive holding call.
It certainly wasn't a pristine showing for the unit.

#steelers #start #conversation

PHILADELPHIA – Few combat sports homecomings had the level of drama that Jeremiah Wells experienced Saturday at UFC 330 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
His opponent Myktybek Orolbai seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough moment, dominating social media numbers throughout the week, with a strong Kyrgyzstan fanbase seeming ready to lay claim to a megastar. However, Wells (14-4-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) had other plans.
If one didn't know better, they'd think from the ovations that the opening prelim was taking place in Kyrgyzstan. Orolbai (16-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) was thunderously cheered. The home-area fighter, Wells? He was greeted with some boos – mostly from the vocal Kyrgyz in the crowd.
For two rounds, things seemed to be going according to plan. The heavy favorite Orolbai dominated the grappling, slowly beating down Wells with ground-and-pound. But Wells showed glimpses of success, mainly with his boxing.
Down two rounds to three entering the third, Wells solidified his place in UFC lore for the special moment as he caught Orolbai with a punch – and then put him to sleep with a rare standing ninja choke. The Xfinity Mobile Arena was now unequivocally on his side as the venue erupted. The stoppage came at 1:24 of Round 3.

#wells #kyrgyzstan #place

The Los Angeles Rams travel to take on the Kansas City Chiefs for some preseason Week 1 NFL action. This game will not be Matthew Stafford vs. Patrick Mahomes. That should come later in the regular season. This game will apparently feature some Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson, so there's a lot to watch for Rams fans on Saturday.
Similar to the Rams, the Chiefs also may be rolling out some quarterbacks that KC and other NFL teams will want to see. You never know which of these players will make a strong enough impression to stick with their current roster or find themselves with a real chance to play elsewhere.
For the Rams, their QB situation is seemingly still being figured out as far as who will be the official backup to the Matthew Stafford in 2026. There is a chance that the true backup for 2026 isn't on the roster, yet. However, Bennett and Simpson should get the chance to show they are ready starting against the Chiefs.
Now, it's preseason, so take it with a grain of salt, but all you can do is play in the situation you are in, and though it's preseason, it's ******* umed that Bennett and Simpson will want to play well. That aside, if you are going to make mistakes, make your mistakes in practice and in preseason, and learn from them.
So, will we learn anything from this matchup? Both teams and fanbases should learn something, but will those lessons learned impact the regular season? We don't know yet.

#make #chance

Here it is then: the curtain-opener. The start of the season proper, our bread and ******* er: league football. The excitement was in the air as the warm weather and promise of shiny new things at the SCL gave the fanbase reason to arrive in their masses to watch the spectacle of a visiting, promotion-tipped Luton Town.
There were some changes to the stadium that I could see and notice. The sound system definitely seemed louder, the pitch's advertising boards were now upgraded to the electronic screen versions and the bins inside the concourse had been replaced with newer ones, which provided options for general waste and recycling. And of course, safe-standing was present in the South Stand.
From where I was sitting, it seemed the West Stand possibly had some new seats, but I couldn't be sure. Certainly over in the East Stand, we had the same seats from last year where I was sat. However, the WiFi and phone signal were still terrible, the toilets the same (although clean) and the only difference in the food and drink selections were the slight price increases.
This effectively boils down to an appropriate metaphor for the game itself: it promised a lot of change, but ultimately, underwhelmed where it mattered.
The starting line-up was pretty much as we expected, seeing the 4-2-3-1 shape from pre-season in use. However, the only pleasant surprise was seeing Jack Marriott start. Also in the line-up were home debuts for Udoka Godwin-Malife (or 'Dokes', because I'm not writing that again), Kyreece Lisbie and Josh Stokes.

#season #seemed #seats #seeing

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- San Francisco will host the 2028 MLB All-Star Game, commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday.
The San Francisco Giants last hosted the Midsummer Classic in 2007 at AT&T Stadium, now known as Oracle Park, on the coast of San Francisco Bay.
"With its passionate fanbase, world-class ballpark, and rich baseball history, San Francisco will be an outstanding host for All-Star Week, which culminates in one of Major League Baseball's best traditions, the Midsummer Classic," Manfred said in a statement.
The annual matchup between the American League and National League also was held in San Francisco in 1961 and 1984.
The 2027 MLB All-Star Game will be held at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs.

#francisco #star

Eagles and Jalen Hurts are going viral for all the wrong reasons originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Going viral is usually a good thing in 2026. It means your posts are getting action. People are noticing you, finding you and, best of all, following you.
But, sometimes going viral happens for the wrong reasons. That appears to be the case with a play the Philadelphia Eagles have shared to social media involving quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Like many NFL teams, the Eagles are sharing choice clips from training camp. It's a way to get the fanbase pumped up for what's to come. At least, that's the hope. But, Philadelphia has shared a clip from practice that's getting attention for not the best reasons.
In the clip, posted by the Eagles on social media, Hurts drops back and throws a deep pass. That's great, but then, Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell comes away with the interception. So, Hurts threw a pick.

#Eagles #hurts #viral #reasons

It appears the latest mantra coming out of Ann Arbor is that "The Game" is just that, another game, however that won't be how the rivalry is suddenly seen by the fanbases.
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood was asked recently how the Ohio State matchup differs from others on the Wolverines' schedule, and his response may have come as a surprise to those who follow the rivalry.
"It's just another game," Underwood said. "Just, we're guys in a different color. That's how I see it."
Underwood's words come after newly hired head coach Kyle Whittingham has generated his own controversy about the rivalry's intensity. Whittingham appeared at Big Ten Media Days and mentioned that a rivalry can be emotional and intense without a "hatred factor," adding he believed that hate did not have a place in it.
The tone coming out of Ann Arbor is hard to ignore. Michigan's quarterback calls it another game and the new head coach says the hatred is unnecessary. Neither statement is inherently wrong, but the Buckeyes won't need any sort of extra motivation when Michigan visits Ohio State.

#rivalry #ohio

Liverpool's summer is taking on a familiar shape, ambition in the market, patience at the negotiating table, and a fanbase watching the calendar as much as the pitch. Credit to The Athletic, whose latest DealSheet offers a useful snapshot of where matters stand at Anfield, and the picture is one of selective movement rather than frenzy.
The headline development is clear enough. "Liverpool have completed a deal to bring in Ronald Araujo on loan for the season in the first move of the summer to tighten up the defence." In a window that has carried an urgent undertone around squad balance, that feels significant. Araujo arrives with stature, pedigree and versatility, and Liverpool have moved to address an area that had begun to look vulnerable.
Photo IMAGO
Elsewhere, the search for attacking reinforcement remains active but unresolved. "Discussions over bringing Bradley Barcola in from Paris Saint-Germain have continued, but Liverpool remain no closer to agreeing a fee, with the two clubs' valuations still considerably apart." It is a line that captures the push and pull of modern recruitment, aspiration against price discipline, desire tempered by realism.
There is also uncertainty around Curtis Jones, with interest from Inter Milan lingering in the background, and wider questions over how swiftly Liverpool can complete the squad-building required for Andoni Iraola's first season in charge. This is not a window for panic, but it is one for clarity.

#season #window #around

Both River Plate and Boca Juniors are going through one of the most difficult periods of their modern history. Massive spending, coaching carousels, and an apparent struggle to adapt to a rapidly changing football landscape have put Argentina's two biggest clubs on remarkably similar paths that are headed in the wrong direction.
The Superclásico remains one of the biggest events in world football, but the institutions behind it are struggling to live up to the extraordinary standards they established over the past two decades. River Plate and Boca Juniors continue to have enormous fanbases worldwide, some of the largest commercial operations in South American football, and the ability to spend more than most of their domestic rivals. Yet the results on the pitch increasingly fail to reflect those advantages.
That contradiction is at the heart of the current crisis. Argentina's two biggest clubs have more resources than almost any other team in the country, but neither has been able to turn those resources into a sustainable sporting project.
Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images
Argentine soccer has changed dramatically over the last two decades. There was a time when the Primera División was structured around the familiar Apertura and Clausura tournaments, a format that gave Argentine football a recognizable rhythm and identity. The system was not perfect, but supporters understood the stakes and knew that two separate league champions would be crowned each year.

#Football #juniors #decades #resources

New York Daily News | Gary Philips: Jazz Chisholm Jr. has lost himself a considerable amount of money in his pending free agency with his downright bad 2026. The Yankee second baseman has managed just a 92 wRC+ with a career high strikeout rate, and of course self-proclaimed that he'd be able to land a 50/50 season in spring training. Jazz hasn't been the only problem with the team's offense of course, but he's been a major contributor — or rather, non-contributor. If nothing else he seems to at least be aware of it, but awareness is different from adjustment.
NJ.com | Adam Zagoria: Tommy John released a very sad public farewell to the Yankee franchise and fanbase over the weekend, as the 83 year old enters hospice care with bladder cancer. Dr. Chris Ahmad, the club's head doctor, penned his own touching open letter to the man on Monday, acknowledging John's place in baseball history and remarkable determination to return to the game despite the shortest of odds.
New York Post | Ethan Spears ($): The Yankees will not have a clear path through the AL without Aaron Judge returning and hitting like we're used to seeing Aaron Judge hit. Cody Bellinger will also likely need to be back, patrolling left field and hitting cleanup. However, the emergence of both George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones as potential lineup-lengtheners give the club a couple more options, although relying on rookies — including one with just five games under his belt — to be reliable contributors through their first taste of MLB baseball is a risky endevor.
FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer have been contemporaries atop the "best pitchers in baseball" list over the last decade or so, and they mirrored each other in strikeout accomplishments over the weekend. Scherzer fanned the 3,516th victim of his career on Saturday, moving into the top-10 in all of baseball history, and moments later Cole sat down the 1,000th batter as a Yankee, the fastest to do so in pinstripes, needing just 139 games. Both pitchers are closer to their enshrinement in Cooperstown than they are to having lost prospect status, but we can still mark the milestones when they come.

#Baseball #york

Three months before Lane Kiffin enraged the Ole Miss football fanbase by leaving for LSU, ESPN aired a documentary about him that showcased what seemed to be a genuine love for Oxford.
Kiffin, now settled in as the coach for rival Tigers, sat down with ESPN's Marty Smith and Ryan McGee to explain things in a recorded interview on SEC Network that aired Aug. 10.
The film was **** led "The Many Lives of Lane Kiffin." In it, Kiffin said his six years coaching at Ole Miss were the best of his life on and off the field, and that he needed Oxford a lot more than Oxford needed him.
McGee created the documentary. Because Kiffin left Oxford for Baton Rouge shortly after the film aired, McGee asked Kiffin if he was being truthful in the way he talked about Ole Miss.
"I can totally see why they would ask that," Kiffin responded. "Obviously I see my side. Making a decision to take a different job, in my opinion, on my side of it, has nothing to do with anything that was said in that special."

#miss

The Vikings' secondary has been tremendous over the years under the coaching and guidance of defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Since he became coordinator in 2023, the Vikings have enjoyed the development of their younger players and veterans alike.
Whether it is Isaiah Rodgers, Byron Murphy Jr., or Joshua Metellus, they have all seen peaks be raised in their potential and on-field ability. The latest player to come along who is already showing promise in the secondary is rookie Charles Demmings.
The rookie out of Stephen F. Austin was invited to the Senior Bowl and played well, and aced the draft process as a whole. Now, as a member of the Vikings, he is getting positive coverage for his play in camp. Alec Lewis of The Athletic wrote recently about the "reception" Demmings is generating in training camp.
"Demmings' positive reception in Minnesota has coincided with strong play. Through seven training camp practices, few Vikings players have made more eye-popping plays. Last weekend, Demmings broke up a pass intended for superstar receiver Justin Jefferson, and he swatted away another directed at receiver Tai Felton on Wednesday."
The play on Jefferson is something that had social media buzzing. Ironically, the play even came a few days after, when Jefferson was boasting that no one ever lines up in coverage with him much anymore. For the rookie to show that he isn't afraid of a challenge, it should have this coaching staff and fanbase excited for him in the regular season.

#secondary

The Pittsburgh Steelers have historically held a "Friday Night Lights" practice during training camp but this year the team was forced to move it to Saturday. It didn't stop nearly 10,000 fans from showing up to get a closer look at the team as they head into prep for the team's first preseason game.
Here are the winners and losers from Saturday's practice.
With every deep completion Allar throws, he endears himself more and more to the fanbase and puts pressure on Will Howard. Allar has made up all the ground he lost to Howard in minicamp and frankly has overtaken him in terms of optimism that he can be the team's starting quarterback at some point.
Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson both had fumbles on Saturday night, which is a bad sign. Nothing to panic about but with Warren battling Rico Dowdle for reps and Johnson fighting to make the team, these errors are magnified.
Even as a seventh-round rookie, nothing seems too big for safety Robert Spears-Jennings. On Saturday, the team asked him to move to slot cornerback and he did so without hesitation. It really feels like the rookie is being set up for a fairly significant role on defense this season.

#saturday #night #practice #move

Phillies get great sign on Luis Arraez's fit in Philly amid comment from ex-teammate originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies made their big splash at the 2026 MLB trade deadline by acquiring Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants.
He's been great for Philadelphia so far, and not just on the field. He's already become beloved by the fanbase, which, for one of his former teammates with the Giants, isn't a surprise.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale shared comments from a former teammate of Arraez, Robbie Ray, on how the All-Star infielder would fit with the Phillies. These glowing remarks from Ray should make Phillies fans feel even better about the Arraez fit in Philly.
"He's going to be great there," Ray said. "He's the definition of a professional. Obviously, he is who he is at the plate. It's not a secret with the batting ****** les. He works hard, and he cares. He puts the effort in, and you can see it. It's not like he's just out there Cadillac-ing it. He's the ultimate professional. They're going to love him."

#arraez #great #Giants