Sports

Jeff Wagenheim Dec 23, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The year of the champion. That’s what 2024 has been in the UFC. How so?There were 16 title fights this year, and in 11 of those, the defending champion walked out of the cage still holding onto the belt. That might not seem so

Dec 27, 2024, 07:43 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Oleksandr Usyk solidified his No. 1 spot in the ESPN pound-for-pound men’s boxing rankings with a unanimous decision victory over Tyson Fury on Dec. 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a rematch of Usyk’s split decision win in May. This time, all three judges agreed and

Ramona Shelburne, ESPN Senior WriterDec 26, 2024, 10:29 AM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Open Extended Reactions Kevin Durant was on the court in Phoenix, warming up for an extra late 8:30 p.m. tipoff for the NBA’s Christmas Day finale, when Stephen Curry and LeBron

Dec 26, 2024, 08:44 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Simona Halep will delay her start to the 2025 season and skip the Australian Open due to pain in her knee and shoulder, the former world No. 1 said Thursday. Halep, whose career stalled due to a doping ban that was reduced on appeal this year,

DJ Bien-Aime Close DJ Bien-Aime ESPN DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets. He’s a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show, “Talkin’ Texans.” Jamison Hensley Close Jamison Hensley

Dec 10, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The 2024-25 bowl season is right around the corner, kicking off with the Cricket Celebration Bowl (Jackson State vs. South Carolina State) on Dec. 14. In a span of 19 days, 36 bowl games will be played — on top of the College Football Playoff. Our

Dec 24, 2024, 07:43 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The average time for a shift in ice hockey is between 30 and 45 seconds. It begins when a player steps over the bench and takes the ice, charging up and down the rink at full speed. They throw their body at the puck, opponents, and

Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff WriterDec 24, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Close Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com. Open Extended Reactions CHICAGO — For consecutive offseasons, the Chicago Cubs have given mixed signals to their fans and the rest of the baseball world. Last winter, they sent shockwaves through the

Dec 20, 2024, 10:40 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie Woods, are teeing off at the PNC Championship Pro-Am this weekend, and it’s bound to be a fun time for the duo. This is Tiger’s first competition since the British Open in July. He’s recovering from a sixth surgery on

Field Level Media Dec 22, 2024, 02:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions NASCAR will conclude its initial three-year agreement for the street race held in Chicago in July and has not yet committed to holding the event beyond 2025. “For us, we’re just looking at 2025. It’ll be the third year of a three-year run,

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentDec 22, 2024, 01:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions MANCHESTER, England — Ruben Amorim wasn’t kidding when he said “the storm will come.” Marcus Rashford, set pieces, missed chances, conceding the first goal in games — the Manchester United head coach can take his pick of problems at the moment. His biggest worry

Associated Press Dec 20, 2024, 07:51 PM ET Open Extended Reactions CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A federal judge set a Jan. 8 hearing to hear NASCAR’s motion to throw out an antitrust lawsuit filed against the stock car series by Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports The two teams are suing NASCAR and were

Mike Coppinger Close Mike Coppinger ESPN Boxing Insider Mike Coppinger has covered boxing since 2010 with roles at USA Today, Ring Magazine and The Athletic before he joined ESPN in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger Nick Parkinson Close Nick Parkinson Reports on boxing for ESPN.com and has been covering British boxing for

Associated Press Dec 20, 2024, 05:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods turns 49 at the end of the month, and he has one pressing goal that relates to his golf. He wants to prolong the inevitable day when his son beats him over 18 holes. They will be playing with

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterDec 20, 2024, 03:28 PM Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions Warren Gatland will remain in charge of Wales for the 2025 Six Nations but has been

Dec 20, 2024, 09:27 AM ET Open Extended Reactions IT’S AN EARLY Friday morning in late November, and Joseph “Joey” Losgar and seven other men, all dressed in gray sweatpants or shorts and white T-shirts, are setting up pickleball nets in a brightly lit gym. Their sneakers squeak on the wood surface as they roll

Michael C. Wright, ESPN Staff WriterDec 20, 2024, 01:41 AM ET Close Joined ESPN in 2010 Previously covered Bears for ESPN.com Played college football at West Texas A&M Open Extended Reactions SAN ANTONIO — Finger by finger, Devin Vassell counted the “wow” moments executed by Victor Wembanyama in his 42-point gem Thursday night that carried

Turron Davenport, ESPNDec 19, 2024, 06:30 AM ET Close Turron Davenport covers the Tennessee Titans for ESPN. Turron is a former collegiate football player at Cheyney University and is a native of Philadelphia, and he has authored/co-authored four books. You can catch Turron on ESPN Radio on his show “Talking with TD” and you can

Dec 17, 2024, 05:10 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor McGregor has not fought since a 2021 defeat to Dustin Poirer. John Locher/AP Photo Conor McGregor has said he intends to delay his return to MMA and has “agreed” to face Logan Paul in a boxing exhibition in India. McGregor, a former two-weight UFC champion, has

Max Olson, ESPN Staff WriterDec 18, 2024, 07:36 PM ET Close Covers the Big 12 Joined ESPN in 2012 Graduate of the University of Nebraska Open Extended Reactions Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer has committed to Oklahoma, he announced on social media Wednesday. Mateer is the No. 1 overall player in ESPN’s transfer rankings

Jeff Passan, Senior MLB InsiderDec 17, 2024, 04:52 PM ET Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Open Extended Reactions The New York Yankees acquired outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, continuing to stock up on high-end

Greg Wyshynski, ESPNDec 17, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Close Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer. Open Extended Reactions The NHL playoff picture has started to come into focus. Some teams have banked enough points to scorching starts that they’re practically locks to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Some teams have made up significant ground

Associated Press Dec 16, 2024, 06:52 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LEXINGTON, Ky. — Thorpedo Anna, the favorite to earn Horse of the Year honors after winning six of seven races this year, has undergone minor dental surgery to remove a bone fragment in her jaw. The 3-year-old is currently on a break at trainer

Gabriele Marcotti, Senior Writer, ESPN FCDec 16, 2024, 11:32 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Another European soccer weekend is in the books, we’re fast approaching the holidays and the midway point of the season, and we’ve got plenty to talk about. Where shall we begin? How about Manchester United, with Ruben Amorim dropping Marcus Rashford

Keith Jenkins Sep 25, 2024, 04:38 PM ET Open Extended Reactions NASCAR has crowned a Cup Series champion every year since 1949. The title is decided by a scoring system that awards drivers points based on race results throughout the season. Although several drivers have won multiple championships, there’s only one who earned the nickname

Dec 13, 2024, 02:39 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Eight notable boxing cards are on the schedule for this weekend, including four women’s title fights, the return of former junior middleweight champion Jaime Munguia, who’s making his fourth appearance this year, and a welterweight bout between two of the most exciting fighters in the division

Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff WriterDec 15, 2024, 01:51 AM ET Close MMA columnist for ESPN.com Analyst for “MMA Live” Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun Open Extended Reactions There’s a new era of welterweights taking over the UFC, and Joaquin Buckley is undeniably one of them. Buckley (21-6) extended his winning streak to six Saturday

ESPN News Services Dec 14, 2024, 02:31 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Chieh-po Lee won the 36-hole LIV Golf Promotions event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, cementing his spot on the league roster in 2025. Lee, who also goes by the English name Max Lee, mixed nine birdies and two bogeys in the opening

Dec 13, 2024, 06:31 PM Tom Voyce won nine caps for England between 2001 and 2006. Stu Forster/Getty Images Tom Voyce’s wife, Anna, has said she is “devastated” following the death of the former England rugby player in Northumberland last weekend. Northumbria Police confirmed on Thursday that a body had been found near Abberwick Mill as

Shams Charania Dave McMenamin Close Dave McMenamin ESPN Staff Writer Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. Dec 12, 2024, 10:35 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is unlikely

Sarah Barshop Close Sarah Barshop ESPN Staff Writer Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You

Associated Press Dec 13, 2024, 12:46 AM ET Open Extended Reactions MELBOURNE, Australia — Three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka was among nine wild-card entries awarded Friday for the Australian Open in January. Tennis Australia said Wawrinka would be joined at Melbourne Park — where the main draw begins on Jan. 12 — by Australians Tristan

Dec 9, 2024, 07:12 AM ET Open Extended Reactions College football’s winter transfer portal window is open and players have until Dec. 28 to enter the portal. It doesn’t mean they have to find their new schools by then — or that they can’t return to their previous schools — but they have 30 days