Sports

Sep 7, 2021 It feels like only a few short weeks ago we were watching Steven Stamkos hoist the Stanley Cup for the repeat champion Tampa Bay Lightning following an NHL campaign like no other before. Because it was. Yet here we are, already revving up for a hopefully full and uninterrupted – and fingers

2:37 AM BST Lock Brodie Retallick will captain New Zealand for the first time in the absence of Ardie Savea when the All Blacks take on Argentina in the Rugby Championship on Australia’s Gold Coast on Sunday. Loose forward Savea suffered a head knock in the 38-21 defeat of the Wallabies in Perth last weekend

8:00 AM ET The UFC is down to 13 live events remaining in 2021 (not including Dana White’s Contender Series). As of now, the schedule consists of one more trip to Fight Island for UFC 267, the promotion’s first visit to New York since 2019 and a consistent lineup of events in Las Vegas to

10:20 AM ET U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker filled out his 12-man team on Wednesday by adding Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Daniel Berger and Scottie Scheffler. Stricker made the announcement at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Haven, Wisconsin. The 43rd Ryder Cup begins at the site Sept. 24. Former U.S.

7:48 AM ET Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano shined in recent unanimous decision wins, and each of them solidified her spot in the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings. Taylor (19-0, 6 KOs), 35, of Bray, Ireland, defended her lightweight undisputed championship with a dominating victory over Jennifer Han (18-4-1, 1KO) on Sept. 4 in Leeds, England.

7:02 PM ET Leylah Fernandez‘s dream US Open run continues. Fernandez, who turned 19 on Monday, defeated No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) on Tuesday to advance to the semis in New York. The Canadian teen is the youngest woman to reach the US Open semifinals since Maria Sharapova did so at

5:51 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Busch was fined $50,000 by NASCAR on Tuesday for recklessly entering the garage following a crash in the opening race of the playoffs. Busch was fined for a safety violation, actions detrimental to stock car racing and violating NASCAR member conduct guidelines during Saturday night’s Cup

6:22 PM ET Free-agent forward Alize Johnson has agreed on a two-year, $3.6 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, his agent, George Langberg, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. The loss of Thaddeus Young and Lauri Markkanen this offseason created a need for frontcourt depth and an opportunity for Johnson to crack the Bulls’ rotation.

6:00 PM ET NFL NationESPN The 2021 NFL season is nearly here, with teams taking on a 17-week slate of games for the first time in history. The season opener is Thursday night, when the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys. Our NFL Nation reporters have you covered with intel

11:33 AM ET Michigan wide receiver Ronnie Bell will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, Jim Harbaugh announced on Monday. Bell was injured on a punt return in the second quarter of Michigan’s 47-14 win over Western Michigan. The senior and captain had one catch for 76 yards and a touchdown

11:17 PM ET Concession workers at the San Francisco Giants‘ Oracle Park voted overwhelming to strike on Saturday, citing concerns over COVID-19 safety and health coverage. According to UNITE HERE Local 2, at least 20 concessions workers have been infected with COVID-19 since the stadium reopened this season. 96.7% of active stadium workers voted to

4:59 PM ET Manchester United got their FA Women’s Super League season off to a flying start with a 2-0 win over Reading thanks to a goal in each half from Kirsty Hanson and Ona Batlle. Hanson got the first goal of the season six minutes before the break as Ella Toone picked her out

Sep 2, 2021 The oldest adage in auto racing is also the sport’s greatest truth. Nothing solves a problem — more problems than you might think — like horsepower. As the 2021 NASCAR playoffs begin Sunday at Darlington Raceway, no one has more horsepower than Kyle Larson. One year ago, no one had bigger problems.

11:00 AM ET When NHL players signed a new collective bargaining agreement in 2020, they earned a massive win: the league agreed to allow players to participate in the 2022 and 2026 Olympic Games. NHL players, uniformly, have fought to return to the Olympics. It’s a dream for so many to be able to represent

11:28 AM BST World Rugby has cancelled scheduled events in Cape Town and Singapore in this year’s Sevens Series due to “ongoing challenges” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, officials confirmed on Friday. The series had been due to visit Singapore (October 29-30) and Cape Town (December 10-12), the latter with a Women’s Sevens Series

7:51 AM ET Derek Brunson smiles and looks off into the distance. He’s thinking about all of the world-class opponents he has competed against during his nine-year career. In just his third UFC fight, Brunson took on 2000 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Yoel Romero. Half of his 10 most recent fights have come against opponents