Sports

Rugby World Cup 2023 will be the 10th time the game’s global showpiece has been staged and the second time it will be held in France in its entirety. It kicks off in Paris on Sept. 8 when the tournament hosts face New Zealand at Stade de France in Paris. Here are all the basics

Aug 20, 2023, 02:12 AM ET Sean O’Malley not only changed the bantamweight division, but the entire landscape of the UFC after finishing Aljamain Sterling. Zhang Weili cruised in her title defense, while Ian Machado Garry remained undefeated. Marc Raimondi, Brett Okamoto, Jeff Wagenheim and Carlos Contreras Legaspi highlight the biggest takeaways from a big

Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior WriterAug 18, 2023, 02:32 PM ET Close ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books ABU DHABI — There was plenty to evaluate as Team USA moved to 4-0 on their pre-FIBA World Cup tour Friday night, beating old rival Greece 108-86 in its

NFL Nation, ESPNAug 17, 2023, 11:03 PM ET The second week of preseason games for the 2023 NFL season kicked off Thursday night with a matchup between the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns. Not many starters saw action, though a couple of potential defensive starters for the Eagles were on the

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterAug 16, 2023, 02:29 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia As if there wasn’t enough on the line in the final two weeks of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, a handful of players are still fighting

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterAug 17, 2023, 02:13 PM ET Close College football reporter. Joined ESPN.com in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University. Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald will serve as a parent volunteer for the football program at Loyola Academy, the high school in the Chicago suburbs that two of his sons attend. Fitzgerald, who

Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior WriterAug 17, 2023, 09:09 AM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com 2-time Sports Emmy winner 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year To celebrate NASCAR’s 75th anniversary, we’re detailing our 75 favorite things about the pinnacle of stock car racing. Illustration by ESPN We are closing in on

Mike Coppinger, ESPNAug 17, 2023, 08:29 AM ET Between Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia and Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr., boxing has produced two genuinely major fights in 2023. Another big-business bout arrives next month when boxing’s top star, Canelo Alvarez, defends his undisputed super middleweight championship vs. undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo.

ESPN News Services Aug 16, 2023, 06:00 PM ET SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — A prosecutor in the Dominican Republic says an investigation into Tampa Bay Rays All-Star shortstop Wander Franco‘s is being handled by a division specializing in minors and gender violence in the province of Peravia. Ángel Darío Tejeda Fabal, a prosecutor in

Cale Makar can sense when the Colorado Avalanche are clicking offensively. Those moments when they’re swarming the attacking zone, zipping passes to one another and a goal feels inevitable. But as a defenseman, Makar also understands what it’s like to endure that kind of pressure during an opponent’s offensive onslaught. “When we get buzzing on

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com Aug 15, 2023, 10:06 AM ET For much of the 2023 season, the talk in women’s tennis has centered around the emergence of the “Big Three” — Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina — and their collective dominance. But, all year long, Jessica Pegula has been ranked in the top five,

Olga Carmona struck late to lift Spain to a thrilling 2-1 win over Sweden on Tuesday and send the Iberians into a first Women’s World Cup final. Carmona’s 90th-minute strike from long-range pinged off the crossbar and into the goal two minutes after Rebecka Blomqvist had levelled the match for Sweden in front of a

Aug 14, 2023, 12:05 PM England have called up Northampton’s Alex Mitchell to replace Jack van Poortvliet in their World Cup squad after the scrumhalf was ruled out of the tournament having sustained an ankle injury in Saturday’s 19-17 win over Wales, the RFU said on Monday. Van Poorvliet had established himself as the probable

Mike Coppinger Nick Parkinson Close Nick Parkinson •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Aug 13, 2023, 02:10 AM ET From Anthony Joshua’s highlight reel knockout to the potential Fight of the Year between Emanuel Navarrete and

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 12, 2023, 10:52 PM ET Vicente Luque returned to the cage Saturday and pulled out his first victory since suffering a brain hemorrhage in a knockout loss in 2022. Luque defeated Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) in the welterweight main event of UFC Fight Night in

Associated Press Aug 11, 2023, 02:30 PM ET Officials for the Preakness Stakes say they are considering moving the second Triple Crown race to four weeks after the Kentucky Derby — instead of two weeks later — in a shift that would change the timing that has been in place for decades. Aidan Butler, CEO

Mychal Denzel Smith Aug 11, 2023, 07:30 AM ET Editor’s note: In honor of hip-hop turning 50, ESPN tapped the culture’s top voices to write about their favorite athlete name-drops in hip-hop history. “And with the third pick/I made the earth sick/MJ/him Jay/fadeaway/perfect” — Jay-Z on “Hola Hovito” (2001) First, we observe greatness — we

Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff WriterAug 11, 2023, 06:00 AM ET Close Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA. You can follow him

Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff WriterAug 10, 2023, 08:30 AM ET Close Dave Wilson is an editor for ESPN.com since 2010. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun. TCU coach Sonny Dykes isn’t big on playing the disrespect card or any other chip-on-your-shoulder motivation. If his players want

ESPN News Services Aug 9, 2023, 08:52 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — Michael Lorenzen threw the 14th no-hitter in Philadelphia Phillies history, a dazzling performance in only his second start with his new team, which beat the Washington Nationals 7-0 on Wednesday night. Lorenzen, 31, struck out five, walked four and improved to 2-0 since he

Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior WriterAug 9, 2023, 05:09 PM ET Close Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia One last major championship. One last shot at glory for women’s professional golfers this season. The final major championship of the 2023 season, the AIG Women’s Open,

Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior WriterAug 9, 2023, 12:49 PM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com 2-time Sports Emmy winner 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year To celebrate NASCAR’s 75th anniversary, we’re detailing our 75 favorite things about the pinnacle of stock car racing. Illustration by ESPN We are closing in on

The NHL has seen its share of noteworthy trades and signings in this offseason. Some helped teams level up. Some knocked teams down a peg. A few could have a transformative effect on franchises for next season and beyond. With the 2023-24 season drawing closer each day, there are some teams whose stock has clearly

The start of the new Premier League season is just days away and clubs have been frantically trying to prepare themselves. It’s been a summer of transfer activity like no other among most of the Big Six. Manchester City‘s squad will look very different, while Arsenal have embarked on what they hope is an upgrade

D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com Aug 8, 2023, 10:45 AM ET Entering last week’s Citi Open in Washington D.C., Coco Gauff had never won a title on American soil. Nor, for that matter, had she won a title at anything other than a 250-level event. And as her last match had been a devastating first-round defeat at

Liam Napier Aug 8, 2023, 03:16 AM The All Blacks unveiled their 33-man World Cup squad on Monday night. Few shocks or surprises emerged but as with any pinnacle event, dreams were achieved and others shattered. Read on as we unpack the squad that will chase an unprecedented fourth Webb Ellis Trophy. Brodie Retallick injury

Associated Press Aug 7, 2023, 02:58 PM ET BROOKLYN, Mich. — Chris Buescher won his second straight NASCAR Cup Series race by holding off Martin Truex Jr. late in the FireKeepers 400 on Monday. Buescher, who won last week at Richmond, took the lead on Lap 133 in the No. 17 Ford and didn’t give

Aug 7, 2023, 08:33 AM ET The UFC always looks for fresh faces, and “Dana White’s Contender Series” is the promotion’s most reliable vehicle for identifying them. Whereas “The Ultimate Fighter” has produced several UFC stars, including some champions, the show’s format removes prospects from their regular training routine and asks them to make weight

Associated Press Aug 6, 2023, 06:57 PM ET SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — A 4-year-old filly broke down in the fourth race at Saratoga and was euthanized on Sunday, the second consecutive day a racing death occurred at the track in upstate New York. Ever Summer sustained a catastrophic injury to her left front leg in

Marc Raimondi Michael Rothstein Close Michael Rothstein ESPN Staff Writer Michael Rothstein is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Rothstein covers the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow him via Twitter @MikeRothstein. Aug 6, 2023, 02:40 AM ET The Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz rivalry isn’t over. That much was clear following Paul’s unanimous decision

Associated Press Aug 5, 2023, 07:47 PM ET SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Maple Leaf Mel was leading the field in the $500,000 Test at Saratoga when she suffered a catastrophic injury to her right front leg just before the finish line and was later euthanized on Saturday. Jockey Joel Rosario was unseated and went to

Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff WriterAug 5, 2023, 12:00 PM ET Close Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM Denver Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar suffered a torn ACL in his left knee while playing for Slovenia in a World Cup preparation game Friday, sources

Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff WriterAug 4, 2023, 03:05 PM ET Close Katherine Terrell came back to ESPN to cover the New Orleans Saints in the summer of 2022. She left the company in 2019 after joining in 2016 to cover the Cincinnati Bengals. Katherine is a graduate of LSU and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native,