The good news is that it's only June. The bad news is that June sometimes matters. The Philadelphia Eagles enter training camp with one of the deepest rosters in football. That reality creates a unique challenge for players fighting to establish themselves. Every summer, talented prospects, former draft picks, and developmental projects discover the same thing. Making the Eagles' 53-man roster is often as difficult as earning a spot on many teams' starting lineups.Spring practices are rarely the final word on anyone's future, but some players helped themselves more than others during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. For the Eagles listed below, training camp represents an opportunity to regain momentum before the competition intensifies.Ty Robinson, defensive tackleRaise your hand if you've forgotten Ty Robinson is still on the roster. The former rookie spent much of last season as a healthy scratch and has done little this offseason to force his way into the conversation of establishing himself as something more. Robinson has largely worked with the third team throughout spring practices, an alarming development for a former fourth-round draftee entering his second season. At some point, a difficult question must be asked. Is there a scenario where Robinson doesn't survive final roster cuts? Right now, that possibility feels more realistic than many would have expected a year ago.Tanner McKee, quarterbackTanner McKee entered the offseason with an opportunity to solidify his standing as Jalen Hurts' primary backup. Instead, the competition feels more open than expected. The Eagles need McKee to show growth, both for their own peace of mind and because quality quarterback depth always carries value. If Philadelphia still views him as a potential trade asset someday, stronger tape will be necessary.Cole Payton, quarterbackWell, things have certainly changed here, haven't they? Following the NFL draft, there was genuine excitement surrounding his long-term potential. Fast forward a few weeks, and he's firmly entrenched as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. Whatever speculation existed about carrying four quarterbacks has cooled considerably. At this point, Payton has done little to force the issue.Myles Hinton, guardMyles Hinton's transition from tackle to guard represented an acknowledgment of reality. The problem is that moving positions doesn't guarantee a roster spot. He now faces competition from Micah Morris, Drew Kendall, and Michael Jordan, among others. Training camp may ultimately determine whether he sticks around.Eli Stowers, tight endArguably, no one on this list carries greater expectations. The rookie tight end is expected to contribute early this season, yet veteran Johnny Mundt appears to have earned more trust from the coaching staff through the spring.As Dan Campbell likes to remind everyone, these are still "pajama practices." Plenty can change once the pads come on. Even so, Stowers appears slightly behind schedule at a position where the Eagles need him to develop quickly.Fortunately for all five players, the most important evaluations still lie ahead. Unfortunately, that also means the pressure is only beginning.This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: 5 Eagles who need strong training camps after underwhelming minicamps

Jurgen Klopp admits “he’s still an idiot” after controversial commentsKlopp issues heartfelt apology after Nagelsmann comment causes Germany controversyJurgen Klopp has never been short of personality, but even he admitted he got this one wrong.The former Liverpool manager has apologised to Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann after a throwaway remark during television coverage of the World Cup created unwanted headlines and fuelled speculation over the national team’s future.According to reporting from the Mirror, Klopp found himself at the centre of a debate after using a single word while discussing Germany’s preparations for the tournament. Although seemingly harmless at first glance, the comment quickly attracted attention given Klopp’s own links with the Germany job.Germany success shifts focus onto Klopp apologyGermany opened their World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Curacao 7-1 and immediately easing concerns surrounding Nagelsmann’s position. Yet much of the discussion beforehand centred on comments made by Klopp during his work as a television pundit.Klopp, who is covering the tournament for Magenta TV, had been discussing Nagelsmann’s team selection alongside fellow pundits. During the conversation, he referred to the Germany manager by saying:“Luckily, Julian Nagelsmann is still picking the team.”That use of the word “still” was interpreted by some as a suggestion that Nagelsmann’s position could come under threat depending on Germany’s performance at the World Cup.Given Klopp’s standing within German football and the fact he has frequently been mentioned as a potential future national team manager, the remark generated considerable attention.Any suggestion that Nagelsmann’s future was uncertain became a talking point ahead of Germany’s opening fixture, despite the 38-year-old continuing to enjoy strong backing from the German Football Association.World Cup spotlight magnifies every wordKlopp’s reputation means even casual observations can carry significant weight. Few coaches in modern football command greater respect after his achievements with Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund.That is why the former Reds boss was quick to address the issue once he realised the reaction his words had generated.Speaking after Germany’s convincing victory, Klopp admitted he regretted the comment almost immediately.“I’ve already found the most hated word of the year: ‘Still’.”He continued: “I could have punched myself in the face for that, but it was already too late and I was on TV. It just slipped out so casually, and has absolutely no relevance.”“What I’ve realised is, I’ll be 59 on Tuesday and I’m still an idiot.”Those comments reflected a man frustrated with himself rather than someone attempting to create controversy. Klopp has built a career on emotional honesty and his response was characteristically candid.Nagelsmann receives backing from former Liverpool bossFar from questioning Nagelsmann, Klopp made it clear he remains fully supportive of the Germany manager and his work with the national team.He explained: “We are completely on your side, whatever you do with this. Nothing will come of it that is intended to disrupt the process here.”That message appears to have been well received within the German camp, particularly after Germany delivered the perfect response on the pitch.The comprehensive win over Curacao strengthened Nagelsmann’s position and underlined why Germany entered the tournament with genuine hopes of challenging for the trophy.Klopp’s apology also served to draw a line under the episode before it developed into a larger distraction.Future links unlikely to disappearDespite his insistence that the comment carried no meaning, speculation regarding Klopp and the Germany job is unlikely to disappear completely.Since leaving Liverpool in 2024, Klopp has taken up a senior football role with Red Bull, but his name continues to be linked with a return to management. His record at club level, which includes Premier League and Champions League triumphs, ensures he will remain a candidate whenever one of football’s elite positions becomes available.For now, however, the focus remains on Nagelsmann and Germany’s World Cup campaign.The Germany manager was asked directly about the controversy during a press conference and chose not to prolong the discussion. After hearing a journalist describe Klopp’s remarks as “a little prickly”, Nagelsmann responded simply: “Good. Then. Next question.”That brief answer perhaps summed up the situation perfectly.Germany are focused on winning football matches. Klopp, meanwhile, has acknowledged his mistake and moved on. With the national team off to a flying start, both men will hope the story quickly fades into the background.

Inter Milan lodge enquiry for 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder – reportReal Madrid are making major moves in the transfer market this summer, with four signings already secured – the latest of them being Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.The spending is far from done yet, with Los Blancos targeting at least three more signings in the coming weeks.What it also means is that Real Madrid will need to make room for the new arrivals by sanctioning some departures in the transfer window.Inter Milan eyeing Eduardo CamavingaIn that regard, Corriere dello Sport (h/t Madrid Zone) reports that Inter Milan have made an enquiry for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.This comes after Inter Milan president Giuseppe Marotta was in the Spanish capital this past weekend to attend the Corazon Classic match between Real Madrid and Inter legends.Eduardo Camavinga is on Inter Milan’s radar. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)A number of Real Madrid players, such as Franco Mastantuono, Endrick, and even Nico Paz (still at Como) are on the radars of the Italian giants.Having won the Serie A title, the Nerazzurri are aiming to further strengthen their squad in the summer, with midfield an area of focus.To that end, they have asked about Camavinga, exploring the possibility of a transfer for the French international. However, as per the report, a move is considered unlikely as the midfielder is fully committed to Real Madrid.Make-or-break season for CamavingaNot considering an exit. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)The 2025/26 season was one to forget for Camavinga as he struggled to perform at the level expected and establish himself in the starting XI at Real Madrid.Injuries, inconsistent form, and poor discipline on the pitch contributed to what was a difficult campaign for the midfielder – with the red card against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League being the lowest point.It had given ways to speculation about a summer exit, but as things stand, neither Real Madrid nor Camavinga are considering that possibility.However, the French international, left out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, must step up in a big way in the upcoming season if he is to secure his long-term future at the club.

Cleveland Browns Jared Verse talks to the media after taking part in OTAs at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus of the Cleveland Browns in Berea, Ohio on June 2, 2026. | Mike Cardew / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Cleveland Browns head into summer vacation with a new identity and a clear path forward. That path is longer now, with DE Myles Garrett traded to the Los Angeles Rams. However, unlike the past, where the team has torn down to the studs, the Browns seem committed to keeping CB Denzel Ward and brought in DE Jared Verse as the key part of the Garrett trade.Whether Cleveland got enough in return for Garrett will likely be debated for years, especially with the large amount of dead cap space that he is taking up in 2026, along with retired OL Joel Bitonio.While Garrett has dead cap money this year, the Browns saved money overall while adding Verse’s two very cheap cap hits the next two seasons:2026: $2.17 million2027: $2.858 millionFor the 2028 season, Verse will have a fifth-year option that is estimated to be around $30 million.In cash, Verse is owed just over $5 million for the next two seasons, including a $1 million roster bonus on July 1st, then whatever the fifth-year option number is for the 2028 season.By comparison, Garrett has around $52 million in cap hits during those three seasons, with another $128 million in salary cap hits over the next three years, 2029-2031.Verse is likely to be under a new big contract during those last three years of Garrett’s deal, but Cleveland is not eligible to sign him to an extension until after the 2026 season ends and the next league year opens. That limitation is not due to the trade but to the NFL’s CBA rule about players not being eligible for rookie contract extensions until after they’ve completed their third year in the league.

In college football, star power is everything. The Washington Huskies, the USC Trojans' rival and opponent this season, have that at the most important position, quarterback. Unfortunately for Washington, that alone may not be enough for them to succeed this season. That's great news for USC.In a recent article, Lars Hanson highlights the valid criticisms of the Washington Huskies this season. Here is what he and an Oregon sports radio host had to say about the Huskies heading into the 2026 campaign:"There are many ways to twist, use, and sell one word that may encapsulate the upcoming 2026 college football season for the Washington Huskies: scary.During his weekly appearance on Puck Sports with Jason Puckett, longtime Oregon sports radio host and columnist John Canzano used the five-letter word to describe what the opposing view was of the 2023 team that featured two top ten draft picks, quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and wide receiver Rome Odunze, and went on to make the school's first national championship appearance in three-plus decades."Look, three years ago, they scared you. Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, they were scary on offense. I think Oregon fans were scared when Washington was on offense," Canzano said. "They really have lacked that in the last couple years, and I still have a question: how do they replace (wide receiver Denzel) Boston and (running back Jonah) Coleman?"The valid question wasn't answered much during spring camp last month, with Kennesaw State senior wide receiver transfer Christian Moss and both veteran running back additions, Jayden Limar from Oregon and Trey Cooley from Troy, out rehabbing injuries."The Huskies have serious talent at quarterback but that only matters when your quarterback also has talent to sictrubte the ball to. Last season a shootout match vs the Huskies would have been a tough feat. This season the Trojans should feel confident they have more firepower. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Washington Huskies may not have enough weapons against USC football

Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens has not been participating in voluntary offseason work. But he's ready to go for this week's mandatory minicamp.Clarence Hill of DLLS Sports reports that Pickens plans to show up to the Cowboys' mandatory minicamp, which starts tomorrow.Pickens signed the one-year, $27.3 million franchise tag the Cowboys placed on him, which means the team could fine him if he skipped any mandatory activities. The fine for missing the full minicamp would be $107,911.Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said after Pickens signed the franchise tender that the team expected him to participate in voluntary work. That hasn't happened, but Pickens didn't sign the tag just so the Cowboys could deduct some money from his salary, so he'll be there so he doesn't get fined.Pickens is coming off a strong season in Dallas and could still work out a long-term contract with the Cowboys that would give him more long-term security but also allow the Cowboys to reduce this year's $27.3 million cap hit. The Cowboys and Pickens have until one month from today to reach a long-term agreement, or else Pickens will play this year under the one-year deal and become a free agent again in 2027.

The 2026 World Cup finally arrived June 13 after years of prep and anticipation, and there's still more to come at MetLife Stadium.Brazil and Morocco kicked off the New Jersey portion of the World Cup, a 1-1 tie. The games will continue at MetLife Stadium though, temporarily known as New York New Jersey Stadium.Here's the schedule at MetLife Stadium for the 2026 World Cup:2026 World Cup schedule in New JerseyTuesday, June 16France vs. Senegal (Group I), 3 p.m.Monday, June 22Norway vs. Senegal (Group I), 8 p.m.Thursday, June 25Ecuador vs. Germany (Group E), 4 p.m.Saturday, June 27Panama vs. England (Group L), 5 p.m.Tuesday, June 30World Cup Round of 32, TBDSunday, July 5World Cup Round of 16, TBDSunday, July 19World Cup Final, 3 p.m.2026 World Cup schedule, key datesGroup stage: June 11-June 27Round of 32: June 28-July 3Round of 16: July 4-July 7Quarterfinals: July 9-July 11Semifinals: July 14-15 – AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) and Mecedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)Third-place match: July 18 – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami GardensWorld Cup Final: July 19 – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey2026 World Cup groupsGroup AMexicoSouth AfricaSouth KoreaUEFA playoff D (Czechia/Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia)Group BCanadaUEFA playoff A (Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland)QatarSwitzerlandGroup CBrazilMoroccoHaitiScotlandGroup DUnited StatesParaguayAustraliaUEFA playoff C (Türkiye/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo)Group EGermanyCuraçaoIvory CoastEcuadorGroup FNetherlandsJapanUEFA playoff B (Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania)TunisiaGroup GBelgiumEgyptIranNew ZealandGroup HSpainCape VerdeSaudi ArabiaUruguayGroup IFranceSenegalFIFA playoff 2 (Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname)NorwayGroup JArgentinaAlgeriaAustriaJordanGroup KPortugalFIFA playoff 1 (New Caledonia/Jamaica/Congo)UzbekistanColombiaGroup LEnglandCroatiaGhanaPanamaThis article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: World Cup schedule at MetLife Stadium includes these games

Canadiens lined up to sign 4 important contracts originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Montreal Canadiens made an impressive playoff run despite being quite young.That raises plenty of optimism about the future for the Habs, and it also puts some additional focus on them heading into the offseason.The good news is that some of the decisions Montreal has to make are actually ones that look quite simple.They've got a quartet of restricted free agents that all deserve new contracts. And given the overall youth of the roster, they'll have a lot of guys back for another year.If everyone improves, Montreal could have quite the special team in the years to come."The Habs have now learned which players are critical to their continued ascent after a somewhat surprising appearance in the Eastern Conference finals this spring," ESPN wrote in a non-bylined article on Monday. "Montreal will need new deals for RFA forwards Joseph Veleno, Kirby Dach and Zack Bolduc, along with defenseman Arber Xhekaj."MORE: Mitch Marner can't quite escape the hatersNone of those four RFAs is the most crucial part of the Canadiens' roster, but they're all solid enough contributors that keeping them around makes a lot of sense.And once Montreal figures out what those contracts look like, they can figure out how to build the rest of the roster."After that (Montreal) will look for some other veteran help to fill in around the edges," ESPN writes.The Canadiens are in one of those spots where it doesn't make sense to rush things. The talented young core proved it can make noise this season. Keeping the group together, adding a bit here and there and continuing to grow up could be the best recipe for the Habs as they move forward.More NHL news:Jack Eichel turned into Ben SimmonsFrederik Andersen heading toward an unceremonious exitCale Makar is about to become a lot more expensive

Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations and general manager, said that the organization wanted to give James the space and time necessary to figure out whatever he plans to do next. Team sources have said that stance has not changed. James’ agent, Rich Paul, told Pat McAfee Friday that he hadn’t even discussed options for next season with James (though he mentioned interest from a third of the league should James decide to continue playing).New York TimesThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Lakers giving LeBron James space to decide his future

The expectation around the league is that the Utah Jazz will match any offer sheet Walker Kessler receives, and executives hold a similar view regarding Detroit and Jalen Duren. Another restricted free agent center at least worth monitoring is Mark Williams in Phoenix (yeah, the guy the Lakers traded for before rescinding the deal). But it’s only logical to wonder why the Suns would give up assets to acquire Williams only to let him walk a season later.New York TimesThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Utah Jazz will match any offer sheet Walker Kessler …

After Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor Josh Hokit won his heavyweight fight against Derrick Lewis during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn on Sunday night, he concluded his victory interview with popular transphobic broadcaster Joe Rogan by declaring, “And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?” Rogan didn’t respond to the comment, but ended the interview immediately afterward, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, Josh Hokit.” It’s not the first time that Hokit has claimed that the former First Lady is a man, and it’s just the latest instance of a UFC fighter using anti-LGBTQ+ comments to make headlines. Transgender activist and civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo called Hokit’s comment “Absolute gutter-level misogyny and racism.” Related 10 people found guilty of cyberharassment for claiming France’s first lady is secretly transgender Hokit’s match was one of seven fights that occurred during the nighttime event, which was part of the president’s planned events commemorating the United States’ 250th anniversary that coincided with the president’s 80th birthday and Flag Day. At the official weigh-in the day before, Hokit wandered in unsteadily, as if drunk, with what was reported as “fake vomit” dripping off his beard onto his bare chest. “So what, maybe I was drinking last night. Who wouldn’t be? I have a giant Black man that wants to knock me out,” Hokit told reporters, referring to his Sunday night competitor, Derrick Lewis. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “Michelle Obama is a man” shouted on the White House lawn in a ring sponsored by Bud Light only available on Larry Ellison’s Paramount Plus. What a way to celebrate America 250 and the twilight of liberal democracy. pic.twitter.com/MCTjdB3slg— Tim Miller (@Timodc) June 15, 2026 Hokit previously referred to Michelle Obama as a man after a May 2025 UFC fight. This unfounded conspiracy theory has been repeated by comedienne Joan Rivers, transphobic misinformation peddler Alex Jones, transphobic Daily Wire broadcaster Matt Walsh, the president’s son Donald Trump Jr., and even TLC singer Chilli. Women of color have historically faced fake accusations that they’re male or transgender, PBS reported. Such insults and accusations are an example of misogynoir, anti-Black racism and sexism which projects hyper-masculine and aggressive traits onto Black women to dehumanize and defeminize them, justifying public abuse against them as well as disproportionate scrutiny of their gender by governing sports authorities and other public figures. Hokit has also referred to lesbian WNBA icon Brittney Griner, a Black cisgender woman, as “a man.” He has also spoken against the participation of trans women in sports that are aligned with their gender identity. Hokit has said that trans women “belong” in the UFC octagon with him “because you need to get your a** whooped.” Absolute gutter level misogyny and racism.— Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net) 2026-06-15T03:39:38.349Z Other UFC fighters have made anti-LGBTQ+ comments to generate outrage and publicity. In a February interview, UFC fighter Sean Strickland repeatedly used anti-gay slurs and said that straight athletes would beat up teammates who came out as gay, and earlier this month, he posted an AI-generated video of himself beating up a trans woman. President Donald Trump purchased between $15,001 and $50,000 worth of stock in TKO Group Holdings, the UFC’s parent company, last March while promoting the UFC Freedom 250 event. President Trump stands to profit from the event and related promotions surrounding it, MS NOW reported. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

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DENVER (AP) — Nobody has lived on the edge of the risk-reward nature of sports more than Deion Sanders over the years. One place the Colorado coach won’t go — gambling on the college game, the likes of which has generated a scandal inside the very conference his team resides. Wagering has jumped to the forefront of college football as Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby won a court order early last week that restored his eligibility and set aside a ban by the NCAA for betting on pro and college sports. Colorado plays Big 12 rival Texas Tech on Oct. 3 as part of homecoming festivities.“Somebody’s gambling on a sport they’re playing? You don’t think something’s wrong with that?” Sanders said in a recent interview with The Associated Press and before the latest court ruling with Sorsby. “Just say that to yourself: This guy on my team is gambling on the sport, in the competition, that we’re about to go out there and have. Something’s wrong that.”Sanders has plenty of thoughts on refining the game in this day and age of the volatile transfer portal and lucrative name, image and likeness deals. His takes include a salary cap in an effort to even the NIL playing field, hiring a retired coach as commissioner (a Nick Saban type ), instituting some sort of an age limit, expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams and, of course, a hard pass when it comes to betting (he's talked to his squad about this topic).“The game is still the game,” Sanders said. “The game is just positioned differently. Money’s involved, and any time money’s involved people tend to migrate to what they think they can get out of it, instead of what they could put into it — and that’s unfortunate.”Bladder cancer diagnosisA year ago, Sanders was going through treatment for bladder cancer, which included having a section of his intestine reconstructed to function as a bladder. This being Men’s Health Month, he's working with Depend underwear to encourage regular checkups (and launching a program titled “Depend Wake Up Calls” that allows consumers to receive video messages from Sanders through June). Earlier this spring, Sanders stepped away from the team for a few days as he dealt with blood clots. But he said he's “feeling great. I've got my old swagger back.”Along with it, a new outlook, which includes actually taking vacation time. Sanders recently partnered on a beachfront property in St. Croix with his son, Shedeur, who's entering his second season as a quarterback with the Cleveland Browns.“I never would’ve done that, because I don’t go anywhere,” the 58-year-old Sanders said. “I'm stepping out, just living life.”Sanders missed football camps last summer in Boulder as he went through cancer treatments. The Buffaloes finished with a 3-9 mark a year after making a bowl game behind Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. This offseason, a more hands-on version of Deion Sanders.“I have everybody in that locker room because we said we want them,” he said. “Because I sat there and watched tape on them and said, ‘That’s who I want, that’s what I want. Let’s go get them.’”The new landscape of college footballSanders found it funny that his heavy reliance on the transfer portal once drew so many raised eyebrows. “Now, everybody’s doing the same thing that I did,” he said. “But it was crazy back then, right?”He's seen and heard the plans from conferences — and the legislation proposals from lawmakers — on how to adapt college football in this new landscape. It’s a lot to untangle, which is why he advocates for an authoritative figure to help oversee the sport.“A guy like Coach Saban and some of the other coaches that have walked away from the game not because they can’t coach anymore but because they were fed up with how things are operating,” he said.Sanders also would be in favor of implementing a salary cap (see: NFL). “So you can really have a consistency with the game,” Sanders said. “The thing about the pro game, everybody gets to spend the same amount of money. It’s who is crafty in regard to business. College football isn't like that. You may have a team that's spent $40 million playing against a team who spent $10 million. You darn well know the outcome in that game.”That leads him to his next point — a potential age cap.“You can’t have a 30-year-old man playing against a 21-year old man and think it’s fair,” he said. “Should be a transfer rule as well. You’re teaching kids not to fight through adversity when you're having kids able to transfer two or three or four times.”As for NIL, he momentarily pondered if anything might have been different for him had a similar system been in place when he was at Florida State. “It probably wouldn’t have (changed),” said Sanders, a college and pro football hall of famer. “I've had a pretty good run. I’m still running, too — still high stepping. I’m probably in the third quarter of this game (of life) and we’re winning. We’re up by about 21. I’m loving life.”___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Women's under-15s call up players for training at Granja ComaryBrazil Women’s Under-15 National Team head coach Beatriz Vaz e Silva has called up 26 players for a training camp at Granja Comary from June 17 to 23. This will be the final preparation period before the category’s Liga Evolución, which will take place in Paraguay from September 8 to 20.“This is an important period for the players to spend time together, not only so that we can get to know them, but also so that they can get to know us and become familiar with our work. So that they understand what it means to wear the Brazil jersey, how a training camp works, and the responsibility that comes with new challenges,” she emphasized.Bia will have Brazil Women’s Under-17 National Team head coach Rilany Silva as her assistant coach. In February, the group had its first training period at the Santa Catarina Football Development Center, in Balneário Camboriú.See the called-up playersGoalkeepersKauane Ribeiro - FlamengoMaria Vitoria Engelmann - GrêmioCatarina Forjaz - SESI LimeiraCenter backsRafaela dos Santos - São PauloAna Gabrielly da Silva - InternacionalAna Luiza Pretti - São PauloEduarda Souza - FluminenseFull-backsAna Julia dos Santos - FlamengoBruna Tarigo - InternacionalEduarda de Oliveira - InternacionalMaria Vitoria Pereira - GrêmioIngridy de Jesus - GrêmioIsabel Amorim - CorinthiansMidfieldersElissandra de Assis - Sport RecifeHelena Consalter - GrêmioMariana Matos - CorinthiansJúlia Correia de Oliveira - São PauloLavinia Oliveira - São PauloLavinia Lourenço - FerroviáriaRafaela Souza - CorinthiansSophia Frias - Vasco da Gama SafThifanny Mattos - GrêmioNina Stanislaus - Philadelphia UkrainianForwardsMarcela Bontorim - FerroviáriaMirela Eduarda Mandler - InternacionalManuela dos Santos - FluminenseThis article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

John Stones has won 89 caps for England [Getty Images]John Stones' selection in England's World Cup squad raised some eyebrows - and the man himself may have been surprised had he been told at his lowest ebb that his country would still be needing him.Stones says he had to "dig deep" to come through one of the most challenging periods of his career before securing his place in the 26-player group.The 32-year-old is in line to start in England's tournament opener against Croatia on Wednesday despite revealing last October he spent some time considering retirement after a string of injuries.Stones is highly regarded by manager Thomas Tuchel and could be a fixture in the World Cup side if he can stay fit, which has not been a given in recent years."It was a difficult period when I said that [about retiring] and I hope I don't get to that again," Stones told BBC Sport."We can all compare ourselves to all the people or different players, different eras and think about how their journey was or how it could have been different and I am a culprit of that - 'why are these things happening to me? It doesn't happen to other people'."And I really had to dig deep and I am proud of myself for being so mentally strong throughout and coming out the other end of those scenarios or situations."I feel like one of my greatest achievements is to keep coming back from those setbacks, no matter how big they are and being on top form and going back into games and playing at such a high level."Taking a leaf from Arsenal's playbook - Tuchel's set-piece planCriticism of Bellingham is hard to read - Henderson'I'll be staying out of the way' - Southgate on World Cup punditryTuchel 'saw the kid inside' when he summoned StonesStones started alongside Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa in England's latest friendly and could be given the nod ahead of Manchester City team-mate Marc Guehi for the Croatia game (Wednesday, 21:00 BST).Stones played just 439 minutes of Premier League football in the season just ended, featuring in only 18 games for City across all competitions.He missed two months with a thigh injury and had to sit out England's two friendly matches before Tuchel picked his squad because of a calf injury.But Stones, who announced in April he will leave City this summer, says he has been "fit, pretty much all season".Tuchel gave his backing to Stones, picking him ahead of Harry Maguire and Levi Colwill, by saying he remains a "big part" of his plans and has "a lot of credit in the bank".This will be Stones' sixth major tournament for England, having helped the side to reach the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the two previous World Cups."I love being here and I think that goes without saying," Stones said."But when I got the call off of the manager, I think he saw the kid inside of me, how I reacted it where I couldn't really control myself."It was like the first time, just pure joy coming out of me, and I think that is one of the qualities that he loves - how all of this group can be ourselves as players."Who am I? Guess World Cup star No 8Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor gameWorld Cup fixtures and group standingsHow to watch the World Cup on the BBCEverything you need to know about the World Cup

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 13: Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox takes the field for the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on June 13, 2026 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images I feel like I’m been pretty negative over the last few weeks of Brushback articles. I need to change up my mentality a lil’ bit.This 2026 Red Sox season, as we all know by now, has been tragic thus far. Not enough offense, the pitching isn’t enough to carry them to victory on most nights in spite of their best efforts, the front office seems completely aimless, yada yada yada. These are things that you haven’t already read before on OTM, be it from me or from any of my colleagues. Frankly, these are themes you’re likely gonna continue to see as the summer progresses as well. The Craig Breslow question isn’t going away anytime soon—well, unless FSG decides to give him a pink slip in the coming days—and even after a series win against the Texas Rangers at home (wait, we’re allowed to win multiple games at Fenway????), the dreams of seeing the Sox qualify for postseason ball seem to be just that at the moment: dreams.But we’ve got nothing but precious time to complain about all the shit that’s going wrong for Boston. The organizational soap opera will continue, and I frankly don’t want to sit here and repeat the same talking points/complaints each and every week that I sit down to write about this stupid team. I’m sure you don’t want to read the same article over and over and over again, either. What’s the point of essentially copying and pasting the same Brushback article all the time at this point? We’ll have weeks—maybe even months—to perform an autopsy on this season, how poorly the roster was constructed, all that fun stuff. Our regularly scheduled bellyaching will continue long into the dog days, short of something astonishing happening in Boston over the next few months (I’m not holding my breath, but stranger things have happened; after all, the Knicks just won a championship).So while I can’t sit here and tell you that my entire outlook on the Red Sox is positive—because it clearly isn’t—I at least wanted to shake up the mojo a little bit and shine a light on a guy who I haven’t given enough credit to here on the website: Ceddanne Rafaela.It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.What a year that Boston’s center fielder is having, folks. Through his first 66 games he’s logged a 2.2 fWAR; he’s on pace to smash the career high of 3.8 he set last season. The numbers leading into Saturday’s game don’t lie, as Jake Iggy of BoSox Talk pointed out on The Everything App:Ceddanne Rafaela among CF this season.287 AVG (2nd)14 2B (3rd) 66 H (5th).801 OPS (6th)119 wRC+ (7th) pic.twitter.com/7AZISxcwFV— Jake Iggy (@JakeIggy) June 13, 2026A lil’ bit of traditional stats if you prefer the old school, a lil’ bit of nerdy stats if you don’t like Manny Machado. Either way you slice it: he’s been a productive hitter, as evidenced by the 127 OPS+ he’s notched leading up to Sunday’s finale against Texas.Now if I told you I was gonna write 1,000-ish words about a guy with a .291/.346/.457 triple slash leading up to that Sunday night matchup at Fenway, you might scratch your head a little. “Sure, that’s a very solid output,” you may think to yourself, “but why are we focusing on him entirely here?”Well, two things:Again, I’m trying something positive here to distract myself from the rest of the dumpster fire that is this season, andNot all 127 OPS+ outputs are created equallyWe all knew that Ceddy had some juice in the bat, but the big question with him had been consistency; he’s got a bit of JBJ in him due to his defensive wizardry and his affinity to switch between hot and cold in a jiffy.One word jumps out at me when looking under the hood when trying to figure out Rafaela’s progression in 2026: competitiveness.The major issue I had with Ceddanne’s plate approach in the early stages of his career was that he gave up too many ABs too easily. Chasing after junk, not working counts, making bad swing decisions, etc. Even when you are making contact, an approach like that is going to throw you off-kilter when you’re stuck in between.Now, even when you’re just watching him, Ceddy looks much more comfortable at the plate compared to where he was when he first started in the bigs. Of course, some of that comes with time, but it’s quite noticeable to me nowadays. If you don’t trust the good ol’ eye test: the simple fact that he’s cut his whiff rate by nearly 10 percentage points since the 2024 season, per Savant, should do a lot of the heavy lifting here. He’s not getting fooled as often and that’s allowed him to deal more damage at the dish.To take it a step forward and to play with my keyword for Rafaela: as of Sunday morning, he ranked within the top 75 (just barely—he was number 75 exactly) of competitive swings across MLB this season. A fancy dancy Statcast metric, a competitive swing is defined as “the fastest 90% of a player’s swings, plus any 60+ MPH swings resulting in an exit velocity of 90+ MPH.” For reference: Ceddy had 1,080 and 1,104 competitive swings in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Rafaela put the ball in play through 31.6% of those competitive swings in 2024 and 36.3% in 2025.This season, that rate is 38.3%. It’s a marginal improvement, yes, but it’s one that I think speaks to the improved plate approach. A better approach with improved plate discipline leads to fewer whiffs, which leads to more competitive ABs in general, which leads to more competitive swings, which leads to profit.None of this even mentions the knack Rafaela has to deliver a clutch knock, by the way, which is a trait that he’s certainly shown during his big league tenure.I don’t know if he’ll get there, but Ceddanne Rafaela deserves to be in Philadelphia this summer. pic.twitter.com/0YuvUn0AbZ— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) June 13, 2026Now, granted, Rafaela might be the beneficiary of some BABIP luck thus far in 2026. His xwOBA and xSLG metrics are both below the 30th percentile leaguewide, and his expected batting average is only around .250 as I’m writing this Sunday morning. The signs of continued progression are there, however, so I’m not totally spooked by those analytics. Improvement isn’t always linear, and he’s still a relatively young guy. There’s more room for growth, and that starts with the game-to-game approach that Ceddy’s implementing in the better’s box.All of this is to say that Ceddanne Rafaela has to be an All-Star. He probably doesn’t start the game over Byron Buxton, sure, but who else has an obvious claim to an outfield position over him this season? The only guy I can think of who would steal a spot over Ceddy is probably Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners due to his power numbers and his star status, but I’ll take the guy who’s OPS is 50 points higher and is a platinum glove type of fielder. Get Ceddanne to the Midsummer Classic, baby.Is the team bad? Yes. Is this going to be a long summer in Boston? Probably. Is the future unclear? I’m too scared to answer that question in earnest. But do we have Ceddanne Rafaela patrolling center? Yes, yes we certainly do. So we got that going for us, which is nice.Song of the Week: “Two Of Us” by The BeatlesHey, these guys are pretty good.Until next time, friends! Go Sox.

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe Dodgers’ rotation is not just coping with 2026, it is giving Los Angeles the sort of starting-pitching base most contenders spend years trying to build.That matters because the Dodgers are chasing more than another division title.They are trying to turn back-to-back World Series wins into the sport’s first three-peat since the late-1990s Yankees.Dodgers quality starts highlight rotation dominanceCodify Baseball highlighted the gap with a simple quality-start leaderboard, and it left the Dodgers alone at the top.“Quality Starts This Year: 40 LAD, 33 KC, 31 SEA, 30 NYY, PHI, 29 ATL, 27 ARI, 26 MIN, 25 BOS, DET, 24 STL, 23 LAA, PIT, CIN, CLE, 22 SF, 21 TEX, CHC, MIA, BAL, 20 TB. MIL. 19 HOU. 18 TOR, CWS, 16 NYM, 15 ATH, 14 SD, 12 WSH, 9 COL.”A quality start is six innings with three earned runs or fewer, so this is less about one ace and more about repeated length. The Dodgers have 40, with Kansas City next at 33, Seattle at 31, and the Yankees and Phillies at 30.Shohei Ohtani is the headliner. He is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA, 73 strikeouts, 21 walks, and a .154 opponent average over 67.2 innings, while producing 10 quality starts in 11 trips to the mound.Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty ImagesYoshinobu Yamamoto has matched that quality-start total, going 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 85.2 innings. Justin Wrobleski has seven quality starts, Tyler Glasnow has four, Emmet Sheehan has five, Roki Sasaki has three, and Eric Lauer has one.Dodgers pitching gives three-peat push real foundationThe standings show why this matters. The Dodgers are 45-27, first in the NL West, with 386 runs scored, only 245 allowed, and a plus-141 run differential.That is the profile of a team that can win in multiple ways. The lineup still has Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and Max Muncy, but the rotation is reducing stress on the bullpen and turning series into attrition tests.The depth is especially important because the names are not all at full strength at the same time. Glasnow has already dealt with an IL stint, Blake Snell has barely contributed, and the Dodgers have still kept stacking six-inning starts.That is what should worry the rest of MLB. Ohtani and Yamamoto give Los Angeles two All-Star-level front men, while the back half has still produced enough length to lead the sport.October will ask different questions, but this stat explains the Dodgers’ path. If their starters keep handing games to Dave Roberts with six strong innings already banked, the three-peat chase has a foundation few teams can match.Read more:The numbers from Las Vegas series show how potent A’s offense will be in new homePaul Skenes gives up home run on ‘unhittable’ pitch for the first time in his MLB careerCalls for Scotland to join prestigious baseball tournament after World Cup fans attend Red Sox game

'Won't make a big difference': Pakistan women's coach Wahab Riaz reacts to no-hanshake policy in IND vs PAK cricket matches originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.KEY TAKEAWAYS:Pakistan women's coach Wahab Riaz says India's no-handshake policy won't make a big difference after their 64-run defeat at Edgbaston.Riaz admitted he was unaware of the reason behind the policy, having left cricket some time ago.India won convincingly with Deepti Sharma claiming a five-wicket haul to open their Women's T20 WC 2026 campaign.Pakistan women's coach Wahab Riaz reacts to the no-handshake policy in IND vs PAK cricket matchesIndia's 64-run victory at Edgbaston delivered the on-field verdict to a match played under significant diplomatic tension. The no-handshake policy was maintained at the toss and post-match, and Pakistan head coach Wahab Riaz was asked about it in the press conference.The former Pakistan left-arm seamer, now in his first global tournament as Pakistan Women's head coach after taking charge at the start of 2026, was asked to describe the relationship between both camps behind the scenes and whether the mood between players had become frosty."I'm sorry to ask this, but we noticed there were no handshakes again today. What's the relationship like between the players and the staff from the two different teams? Are you friendly behind the scenes, or is it just frosty?" the reporter asked as quoted by NDTV Sports.Riaz's response was measured and diplomatic, acknowledging he had been away from the game for some time and was unaware of the reasons behind India's no-handshake stance. He declined to take a position on whether the policy was appropriate or required changing."See, I don't know. I just left Cricket way before, so I don't know the reason for not shaking hands. But I think if things want to move like this, let's go like that. It won't make a big difference," said Riaz.MORE: Why is there no Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match on Monday, June 15?Did India and Pakistan players shake hands during IND vs PAK Women's T20 World Cup 2026 clash?When India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss at Edgbaston on Sunday evening, she turned immediately to broadcaster Mel Jones for her post-toss interview.There was no pause, no outstretched hand toward Fatima Sana. The no-handshake policy, now well-established across all India-Pakistan cricket fixtures, continued without ceremony.It had been the same at the end of the match. Players from both sides dispersed to their respective dressing rooms once the final ball was bowled, with no post-match handshakes between the teams. What might once have been considered a diplomatic incident is increasingly being described as simply the new normal.A policy spanning all India-Pakistan encountersThe no-handshake policy has been in place across every India-Pakistan cricket meeting since the Pahalgam terror attack in May 2025.India's Operation Sindoor military response worsened bilateral relations, and the BCCI instructed players to avoid the customary gestures with their Pakistani counterparts.Since then, players across all formats in men's and women's cricket have avoided shaking hands with Pakistan players every time the two nations have come face-to-face in ICC and ACC competitions.MORE: 'Not sure India will go very far': Ashwin not convinced about India's WT20 chancesPakistan's focus on moving forwardRiaz's broader post-match assessment was focused on the cricket itself. He acknowledged that concentration lapses at key moments in both innings had cost Pakistan, but insisted the side was adapting to his new approach and that positive results would follow.Deepti Sharma's five-wicket haul was the highlight of India's comprehensive win, combining with Smriti Mandhana's 68 off 44 balls to produce a performance that reinforced their status as strong tournament favourites. For Wahab Riaz, the no-handshake question is simply not his to answer.To keep up to date with all the latest cricket news and share your opinion on the biggest topics, visit our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.

Rafa Mir, jailed 8½ years for sexual assault and bodily harmThe Fourth Section of the Provincial Court of Valencia has sentenced footballer Rafa Mir to eight and a half years in prison. The court found him guilty of sexual assault and bodily harm, as reported this Monday by the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJCV).The legal proceedings also involve a second defendant, a footballer and friend of Mir. In his case, the Valencia Court sentenced him to 2 years in prison after finding him guilty of sexual assault, crimes against moral integrity, and minor bodily harm.The judicial ruling, which was officially notified to the parties involved this Monday, is not final. This means that the defense for those convicted still has the legal option to appeal the court’s decision before higher courts.Likewise, the ruling handed down by the judges establishes the corresponding civil liabilities in the form of compensation. The sentence sets payment at 64,000 euros for Rafa Mir’s victim. Meanwhile, the second convicted man must pay 6,280 euros to the other complainant.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

SEATTLE, June 15 (Reuters) - Belgium’s Jeremy Doku is due to become a father for the first time while ‌the World Cup is still on, and wants to ‌be at the birth, creating a potential dilemma for the team. The 24-year-old winger ​is one of the key elements of the Belgium side who open their World Cup campaign against Egypt in Seattle on Monday, and plans for him to leave the United States and ‌return home for the ⁠birth of his child are being put in place, Belgian media reported. Doku told reporters his wife Shireen ⁠is due in the second week of July, when the tournament has reached the quarter-final stage, and if Belgium are still ​involved, he ​wants to be at the ​birth. “It depends on when it ‌happens, but it's my first child, so I would definitely want to be there,” he said. “If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also know that football ‌involves many other considerations. “I know the ​federation supports its players and understands ​their situations. We'll see ​what we can do,” he added. Belgian media said ‌a private plane to England, ​where the child ​is due to be born, would likely be arranged. Doku plays his club football for Manchester City. Defender Brandon Mechele ​is in a similar ‌situation, although his wife is due to give birth ​a week after Doku’s wife. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in ​Atlanta; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Deion Sanders talks Depend partnership, Colorado’s locker room responding to adversity and tragedy originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders was candid about many topics during a recent discussion we had in promotion of the launch of “Depend Wake Up Calls.” The “Depend Wake Up Calls” promotion is in honor of “Prime Wake Up Call for Men’s Health Month,” plus the nationwide rollout of the new Depend Real Fit packaging, which features Coach Prime on pack for the first time ever.Today, DependWakeUpCall.com launched, allowing people to choose from one of three video text messages encouraging them to schedule a physical, supporting those navigating a recent health diagnosis, or empowering those experiencing bladder leaks to move past embarrassment and get back to living life.I asked Coach Prime about the initiative, how he depends on Depend, and tackled several difficult subjects, like his publicized use of porta-potties on the sidelines due to incontinence caused by bladder cancer, which is thankfully now cleared. He also revealed the Buffs locker room’s response to the tragic death of quarterback Dominiq Ponder on March 1, and their general attitude towards adversity.On what point he was finally comfortable using Depend and having a porta-potty on the sidelines…“The porta-potty on the sideline is always a tremendous help. You got to understand, it ranges from being on the sidelines for all the practices. So being able to make it throughout a whole entire game, and be comfortable, having Depend over there, knowing that I got to go to whenever I need…I'm happy. I'm thankful to them helping me get my life back, and the products help me stay active.”On how he helped his players navigate the tragic loss of Dominiq Ponder…“That was a tremendous tragedy that we dealt with. We unified, we stayed together, leaders led, and the rest of the team did what they needed to do to make sure they didn't medicate pain. They dealt with it. They took it head-on, and we handled it. We got through the storm.”On the main takeaway he wants people to take from “Prime Wake Up Call for Men’s Health Month”...“Never giving up. And never looking at the day in the sense that it's a bad day. You have the authority to make today whatever you want it to be. So just because you may have had a bad moment, minute, or hour, that does not mean it's a bad day. You have much more time to make it right and to make it better.”On what he tells his locker room about fighting a public battle with cancer and blood clots…“We have a common theme in our locker room that everybody's going through something. It may not be at the enormity that mine was. But everybody is going through something. And we just did a poll one day, and I just randomly started pointing at people around the room, in the big meeting room, and they stood up and said what they were going through…“And that coincided with the thought process that everybody's going through something. We got to keep going. We can't stop. We can't stop, take the picture, do our Instagram post; we gotta keep going and make it through.”On how much longer he wants to prolong his coaching career given his recent active focus on his health…“It's a way of life. I've always walked in the light. I've always been focused on it. My kids as well. So, we just might as well make the best of it. And we've partnered with a tremendous brand that understands life has its challenges, but we're prepared to walk through and walk beyond those challenges.”On his sons’ attitude towards their health and if they are vocal about it…“Instead of speaking on it, because we're not one of those families who talk about the trials and tribulations much, we focus on the positivity of life. So instead of focusing on and speaking about it, they would go out and make sure they're up on their game, with early detection, checking themselves out, and taking action on their health. They make sure they're on top of those types of things…“Shedeur’s not like that, man. Shedeur’s football, football, football. So he's not trying to send a message to the Browns locker room. This kid is trying to compete, and he's trying to win.”

Defensive midfielder has offer from abroad to leave VascoMidfielder Hugo Moura could be on his way out of Vasco da Gama in this transfer window. According to ge, the player is in ongoing talks after receiving an offer from Japanese football.His contract expires at the end of the year, and there have been no talks over a renewal. As a result, if the transfer does not go through now, he will be free to sign a pre-contract with any other team starting in July.Despite the attractive financial offer from abroad, people close to him say Hugo Moura’s initial wish is to remain at São Januário. The midfielder strongly identifies with the club, and his family is fully settled in Rio de Janeiro.Behind the scenes, the coaching staff are also in favor of him staying. Hugo is seen as a very important piece of the squad, especially because of his versatility in an area that is currently short on options in Vasco’s midfield.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

A raid by Malaysian authorities on an alleged “gay spa” in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur late last month saw over 200 individuals arrested, but ultimately yielded no convictions under colonial-era prohibitions on “carnal knowledge” between men. Local police carried out the joint raid with the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department on suspicion that the men-only spa was “promoting homosexuality.” Engaging in same-sex acts in Malaysia carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison and mandatory caning under both federal law and state Sharia statutes. Related Kids’ show yanked off air in Malaysia over same-sex kiss The country is majority-Muslim. The spa had been under surveillance for several weeks, the South China Morning Post reported, before authorities burst in to arrest patrons on November 28. Police detained 201 men, ages 19 to 60, including 15 foreign nationals. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Investigators claimed they found condoms and other evidence indicating the men were engaging in illicit same-sex activity. Shortly after the joint operation, videos of the raid went viral online, revealing a parade of men, many wearing only white spa towels. A list of individuals identified in the footage followed, circulating on social media. It’s unclear who leaked the police video or who compiled and published the list. A similar raid was executed 24 hours later at a sauna in Penang, just south of the country’s border with Thailand. Both cases were prosecuted under Malaysian law that criminalizes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and “outrages on decency.” The statute has been used in a broader government crackdown targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, groups, businesses, and gatherings that “promote” homosexuality. The government also invoked Section 372 of the Malaysian penal code, which criminalizes the exploitation of people for prostitution, including selling, hiring, or restraining a person to force or coerce them into sex work. Prosecutors, however, came up empty-handed. When presented with the evidence in both cases, a judge ruled that police failed to show anyone at the spas had been exploited or coerced into “prostitution, or abnormal sexual activity.” The men were released, and none will face criminal charges. 103 Muslim detainees, however, are still being investigated for sodomy under Sharia-based law. Their fate is uncertain. The men identified on social media, meanwhile, face the stigma attached to publicly outing them as potentially gay. “The leak and viral spread of this sensitive data is a serious breach of privacy and dignity,” Malaysian human rights group Legal Dignity said in a statement. The public exposure “puts detainees and their families at risk of discrimination, extortion, job or housing loss, and long-term stigma.” In one example of the public shaming’s effects, Malaysia’s Education Ministry has removed teachers who were arrested from classrooms and launched its own investigations. One unintended consequence of the mass arrest was a public show of support at the police station where the detainees were held. Dozens of supporters from the LGBTQ+ community turned up to offer legal advice, food, information, and support for those held and their families. Local queer activist Numan Afifi praised the spontaneous mobilization, joking, “Who would have thought KL’s first Pride march would happen right in front of Dang Wangi Police Stn?” Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

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This week, I’m thrilled to be joined by Imani Thompson. Imani is a digital security trainer and host of a series of events called Cache Me Outside, where she and partner orgs help people understand their personal security, divest from big tech platforms, and learn how to stay safe online. She recently hosted a “de-Googling” party and a self-doxxing rave.We get into how platforms have tried to make surveillance cute, why that damn Duolingo owl emotionally manipulates you, and why learning about privacy best practices when surrounded by community works. Listen to the weekly podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Become a paid subscriber for access to this episode's bonus content and to power our journalism. If you become a paid subscriber, check your inbox for an email from our podcast host Transistor for a link to the subscribers-only version! You can also add that subscribers feed to your podcast app of choice and never miss an episode that way. The email should also contain the subscribers-only unlisted YouTube link for the extended video version too. It will also be in the show notes in your podcast player.Follow Imani on InstagramA 'Self-Doxing' Rave Helps Trans People Stay Safe OnlineNow you can break up with big tech at a bar: ‘cybersecurity disguised as a party’Fix It With Piggy

England have suffered a significant blow ahead of the second Test against New Zealand after fast bowler Ollie Robinson was ruled out with soreness in his right knee.The timing could hardly be worse for the 32-year-old pacer, who had enjoyed a dream return to international cricket in the series opener at Lord's. Playing his first Test in more than two years, Robinson produced a match-winning performance, claiming seven wickets, including a stunning burst of three wickets in his opening over, to help England secure a 115-run victory over New Zealand. His efforts earned him the Player of the Match award and appeared to mark the beginning of a long-awaited comeback.However, the latest injury setback has once again interrupted Robinson's momentum and reignited concerns about his fitness and ability to remain available for extended periods at the highest level.The seamer's previous Test appearance came against India in Ranchi in February 2024, where he managed just 13 overs across the match and did not bowl in the second innings. Since then, Robinson has worked hard to regain his place in England's Test setup, making his recent success at Lord's all the more encouraging.Despite being ruled out of the second Test, England have confirmed that Robinson will remain with the squad and continue his rehabilitation, with hopes of returning for the third Test at Trent Bridge, which begins on June 25.England's injury and availability concerns extend beyond Robinson. Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson are also unavailable while an investigation into an alleged incident at a London nightclub continues, forcing the hosts to consider multiple changes for the upcoming match.The absence of several senior players could open the door for Jofra Archer, who has rejoined the England setup after completing his IPL commitments. Archer trained with the squad at The Oval over the weekend and is firmly in contention for a return to Test cricket.The second Test between England and New Zealand is scheduled to begin on June 17 at The Oval in London, with the hosts aiming to extend their series lead despite a growing list of selection challenges.

Welcome back to another rundown of the league’s unluckiest arms in the 2026 MLB Season. From ERAs sitting near 9.00 to SIERAs hovering around 3.00 and expected wOBAs buried well beneath the real thing, we dig into five pitchers whose lines have been wrecked by soft contact finding holes, balls leaving the yard, and misfortune that says they should be pitching far better than the box score shows.MORE: Phillies lose World Series Champion, all-star outfielder to long IL stintSpencer Strider, BravesMLB: Mar 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider (99) in action against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesLeading off this week is Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider, whose 9.24 ERA over his last three starts is one of the most misleading lines in baseball. Across 12.2 innings, Strider has allowed 13 earned runs, yet his SIERA (3.17) tells a completely different story. He is still missing bats at an elite clip, with a strikeout rate (22.6%) that anchors the profile, and his wOBA against (.422) sits 88 points above his xwOBA (.334). A BABIP (.357) confirms that balls are dropping in. His one problem is a barrel rate (14.3%) that runs a little high, but the strikeouts and expected marks say Strider’s ERA should crater soon.George Kirby, MarinersNext up is Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby, who owns the cleanest skill-versus-luck disconnect on the list. Over his last three starts spanning 15.1 innings, Kirby gave up 10 earned runs for a 5.87 ERA, but his SIERA (3.09) points to a far better arm. His command and swing-and-miss have been great, pairing a strikeout rate (26.4%) with a walk rate (6.9%), and his wOBA against (.401) sits 76 points above his xwOBA (.325). The real culprit is a BABIP (.417) that screams bad luck, as balls in play keep finding grass. With that strikeout-to-walk profile, Kirby’s ERA should tumble back toward his skill in a hurry.Kyle Bradish, OriolesMLB: May 31, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish (38) throws during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn ImagesNext on the list is Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish, who has been far better than a 6.91 ERA suggests. Over his last three starts spanning 14.1 innings, Bradish gave up 11 earned runs, yet his SIERA (3.13) points to a far steadier arm. Hitters simply have not squared him up, with a hard-hit rate (31.3%), a barrel rate (6.3%), and an average exit velocity (87.1 mph) all comfortably below league average. His wOBA against (.421) sits 91 points above his xwOBA (.330), while a BABIP (.333) confirms some misfortune. The walk rate (13.0%) is the one box left to check, but the soft contact says Bradish should be pitching closer to his expected numbers.Robert Gasser, BrewersRolling in next is Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Robert Gasser, who carries the best underlying numbers on the list. Still knocking off rust from Tommy John surgery, Gasser owns a 6.91 ERA over his last three starts, but his SIERA (2.70) and xwOBA against (.285) are both elite. The contact has been quiet, with a hard-hit rate (27.3%) and an average exit velocity (86.3 mph) well below average, paired with a strikeout rate (23.9%). His wOBA against (.421) towers 136 points above that expected mark, yet his BABIP (.250) is actually low, meaning this is a home-run and sequencing problem, not balls finding holes. The skills say a correction is coming. Michael Lorenzen, RockiesColorado Rockies right-hander Michael Lorenzen is another arm whose line lies about his stuff. Over his last three starts across 12 innings, Lorenzen allowed 10 earned runs for a 7.50 ERA, yet his SIERA (3.08) suggests something far steadier. The contact against him has been soft, with a hard-hit rate (33.3%), a barrel rate (7.7%), and an average exit velocity (86.9 mph) all beneath league average, paired with a strikeout rate (23.7%). His wOBA against (.379) sits 55 points above his xwOBA (.324), while a BABIP (.410) confirms the misfortune. Even with half his starts at Coors Field, Lorenzen has pitched better than his line. — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

UFL offensive player of the year Hakeem Butler is getting another shot at the NFL. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that the Broncos are signing Butler ahead of their mandatory minicamp this week. The wideout won the UFL award while playing with the St. Louis Battlehawks this spring. Butler also won the offensive player of the year award while playing for St. Louis in 2024 and he's spent the last three seasons with the team. He had 29 catches for 641 yards and three touchdowns during the 2026 season. Butler was a 2019 fourth-round pick of the Cardinals and spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve. He played in two games for the Eagles in 2020 and has also spent time with the Panthers, Steelers and Bengals over the course of his career.

La Liga club interested in signing Real Madrid out-of-favour defender – reportJose Mourinho has come to Real Madrid with the outlook of a man who wants to revamp the squad’s entire defensive set-up.This has been visible in the kind of players Los Blancos have signed so far, most of whom have been defenders, with the exception of Bernardo Silva.Making so many signings in one area of the field, though, is likely to also necessitate sales, and Real Madrid may have an important decision to make on Fran Garcia this summer.According to AS, Real Betis view Fran Garcia as one of the names they like for their left side, although no definitive move has been made at this stage.A crowded left-back picture at MadridThe situation is easy to understand from a Real Madrid perspective. Marc Cucurella is arriving from Chelsea, while Alvaro Carreras is also expected to continue, leaving Fran with a much tougher route to regular football.Real Betis want Fran Garcia. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)That does not mean Real Madrid should treat him as expendable at any price. Garcia is 26, has experience at the highest level and still offers energy, speed and natural width from the left.Even if he has not always found consistency, that has also been shaped by strong competition and limited rhythm.Real Betis are looking for a more reliable solution after struggling to fully settle the position since Alex Moreno left.Ricardo Rodriguez is out of contract, while Junior Firpo’s return did not meet expectations. In that context, Garcia makes sense for them.Why Real Madrid hold the stronger handThis is exactly why Real Madrid should be firm. Betis are not looking at a luxury signing, they are looking at a player who could become important in Manuel Pellegrini’s plans.If Fran leaves, the club should make sure the fee reflects his age, La Liga experience and usefulness to another ambitious side.What does the future hold for Fran Garcia? (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)There is also a sporting point. A squad as demanding as Real Madrid’s needs depth, and the club should only move Fran on if the left-back plan is genuinely secure. Injuries, dips in form and fixture congestion can quickly make a backup look valuable again.A sensible exit, but only on Real Madrid’s termsFor Garcia, Betis could offer something Real Madrid perhaps cannot promise right now: a central role and regular minutes. That matters for a player entering an important stage of his career.His time at the Spanish capital club has mostly been marked by criticism, and even the few good performances here and there tend to be forgotten in the larger picture.Cucurella’s arrival means the senior Spaniard is likely to nail down that spot on the left flank, and minutes could be hard to come by for Fran.Amid Betis’ interest, Real Madrid are right to be considering a sale, but it remains to be seen whether they hold out to get good value from it.

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 15: A fan takes their seat during the Rothesay County Championship Division 1 match between Nottinghamshire and Somerset at Trent Bridge on June 15, 2026 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images) | Getty Images Hickory starter Evan Siary went four innings, allowing five runs, striking out one and walking one while allowing a pair of homers. Owen Proksch gave up a run in an inning of work. Michael Trausch walked one and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings. Geury Rodriguez struck out both batters he faced.Angel Arredondo was 2 for 4 with a triple and a walk. Daniel Flames was 2 for 4 with a double. Yolfran Castillo had a hit, two walks and a stolen base. Hickory box scoreHub City starter D.J. McCarty threw six shutout innings, striking out eight and walking two.Malcolm Moore was 2 for 5 with a double. Hector Osorio had a hit and a pair of walks. Maxton Martin homered. Paxton Kling had a walk and a hit by pitch before leaving the game for Chandler Pollard after the HBP. Pollard had a hit, a walk and a stolen base. Yeison Morrobel had a hit and a pair of walks.Hub City box scoreDylan MacLean started for Frisco, throwing 6.1 shutout innings, striking out five and walking one. Joey Danielson struck out both batters he faced. Josh Trentadue allowed three runs in 0.2 IP, striking out two and walking one. Eric Loomis allowed three runs in 0.2 IP, including a walkoff homer.Ian Moller homered and walked. Rafe Percih had a hit and two walks. Frisco box scoreRound Rock starter Josh Stephan allowed three runs in 5.1 IP, striking out five and walking three. Wilian Bormie struck out three and walked one in 1.1 IP, allowing one run. Gavin Collyer walked two of the three batters he faced. Alexis Diaz retired the one batter he faced. Luis Curvelo retired the two batters he faced, one via strikeout.Rehabbing Josh Smith was the DH and went 1 for 3 with a double and two walks. Jarred Kelenic had a hit and a walk. Blaine Crim had a hit.Round Rock box score

A bishop reported that many holy items had been recovered from the church, at the site of the Perchersk monastery, a revered place for the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox faiths.

NEW YORK—Condemning the unlawful possession of its property by generations of spectators, Major League Baseball issued a recall Monday of all foul balls that have ever been taken home from its ballparks. “These balls belong to Major League Baseball, and we want them back,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, stressing that any fan who has ever kept a foul ball is legally and morally a thief. “Just because a baseball ends up in your hands doesn’t mean it’s yours. You wouldn’t take a plate from a restaurant just because it was sitting in front of you, so why would you think you can walk out with one of our baseballs? We paid a lot of money for those. They’re very nice balls. They have leather on them. We thought it was understood that you’re supposed to give them to security on your way out of the ballpark, but apparently not.” Manfred added that there would be a 30-day grace period for fans to return balls to designated collection bins at MLB stadiums before facing criminal charges. The post MLB Demands Return Of All Foul Balls appeared first on The Onion.

NEW YORK—Warning that millions of men aged 35 and older would be left utterly adrift following the traumatic loss, researchers at Columbia University published a study Monday that revealed the majority of middle-aged men in the United States lacked the support network they would need to handle singer-songwriter Neil Young’s death. “It’s deeply concerning that the average 45-year-old male does not have a single friend or relative willing to text their favorite track from Harvest Moon with the caption ‘GOAT’ typed underneath,” said lead researcher Shannon Bailey, noting that in the absence of the Godfather of Grunge, large swathes of American men would simply spiral into depression while listening to “Heart Of Gold” on loop alone in their apartments. “No other living artist can replicate Young’s raw, soulful vocals or match his mastery of both electric and acoustic sounds, and when he’s gone, men will find themselves searching for someone, anyone, to share in their grief. Unfortunately, less than 15% maintain the connections they made during the 1999 solo acoustic tour, and even fewer will seek out a therapist when they need to discuss Young’s collaborations with Crazy Horse. It’s a sad reality, but without intervention, these poor souls will suffer in silence.” At press time, the researchers published a follow-up study showing that suicide hotlines were woefully unprepared for the volume of calls they would receive when Bob Dylan passed. The post Study: Majority Of Middle-Aged Men Lack Support Network They’ll Need To Handle Neil Young’s Death appeared first on The Onion.

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING - MAY 23: A bison grazes near Midway Geyser Basin on May 23, 2026 in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Yellowstone National Park became the nation’s first national park on March 1, 1872, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed a congressional act protecting the land “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” Today, the 2.2-million-acre park thrives as part of one of Earth's last nearly intact large temperate ecosystems, famously preserving over 10,000 hydrothermal features and around 500 geysers—roughly 50 percent of the world’s total. Boasting the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states, Yellowstone stands as the only place in the U.S. where bison have roamed continuously since prehistoric times. Native American communities inhabited and conserved the lands for over 10,000 years, with 27 individual tribes recognized by the National Park Service as carrying modern-day and historic ties to Yellowstone. National Park Week will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with a weeklong celebration in August featuring hundreds of commemorative events at many of America’s 433 national parks under the theme “Celebrate America’s Story”. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) | Getty Images Kansas Jayhawks NewsThe KC Star has their their regular Q&A for all Kansas sportsThe Topeka Capitol Journal has a summary of how Kansas basketball looks in all the “way too early” pollsGary Before of the KC Star has a writeup of Kevin McCullar’s basketball journey, which now includes an NBA title Links!Pretend there are links here Question of the DayWho are your three favorite rap/hip-hop artists of all time?

Barcelona refused to meet Real Madrid-bound veteran’s exorbitant financial demandsReal Madrid have peculiarly followed Barcelona’s transfer targets all summer, beginning with Denzel Dumfries and Julian Alvarez to even Marc Cucurella.The biggest one of them all, however, was Bernardo Silva who was said to have an agreement in place to move to Catalonia but went on to reportedly give his commitment to Real Madrid.Los Blancos and the entire fanbase, needless to say, have milked the situation to the maximum to claim the dominance of their institution and badge over Barcelona, claiming that the player left it all to join Real Madrid when the chance arrived.It all comes down to moneyOne of the speculated reasons for Silva picking Real Madrid over Barcelona despite his desire to don garnet-and-blue was the guarantee of minutes that the Madrid-based side provided him – something Barcelona could not under any circumstances.Bernardo is headed to Real Madrid. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)Now, however, El Confidencial (h/t FCBWorld) brings to light that the sporting reason was not the only factor behind his changed decision. The usual suspect, money, was involved too, and Real Madrid priced him out of Barcelona’s plans.The Portuguese star reportedly demanded a salary of €20 million per season with a commission of €10 million to his agent Jorge Mendes and his father. Further, he demanded a signing bonus of €10 million for his arrival over and above the aforementioned sums.Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both rejected the claims, eventually leading to him joining the only club who were willing to shell out that price – Real Madrid.A question of needBarcelona were keen but refused to pay Bernardo’s demands. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)While Silva would have indeed been a great backup midfielder and right-winger, Barcelona will not beat themselves up over missing out on his signature.After all, the former Manchester City star was not a necessity in any capacity and it would have made no sense for Barcelona to stretch and accommodate his financial demands when there was no need.The team already have a solid midfield core with Pedri, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez all shining bright. Gavi’s return from injury only adds to that list.With the Silva dilemma now out of the way, Barcelona can make clearer decisions and focus on the positions that are in urgent need of signings. The centre-forward and central defence, at this point, appear to be under the spotlight as high-priority positions.

Manchester United get ‘All or Nothing’ Amazon Prime seriesManchester United have announced that they will be the latest sports team to be apart of the Amazon Prime ‘All of Nothing’ series.The Amazon cameras are set to follow the Red Devils during the 2026/27 season, as they return to the Champions League, as well as all their domestic competitions and this summer’s transfer window.The series follows the other series’ All or Nothing: Arsenal, All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, All or Nothing: Manchester City, All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs, and All or Nothing seasons with various NFL teams.In a statement, Tara Erer, Head of UK Film and Unscripted Television and Northern European Originals said:“Manchester United is more than a football club: it is a global phenomenon. All or Nothing: Manchester United was a story we had to tell.“From Old Trafford to every corner of the world, there is no club that commands this level of passion, history and obsession. That is exactly the kind of story we want to tell, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring it to customers everywhere.”Manchester United Chief Communications Officer, Toby Craig said: “Now is the right time to open our doors, so that for the first time our fans around the world can see behind the scenes of a club which means so much to so many people. “This documentary will showcase Manchester United’s unique people, ambition and culture; from the iconic atmosphere at Old Trafford to the work that goes on behind the scenes every day at Carrington. “We will share some of the stories of this historic club both with our fans and new audiences around the world as we compete at the highest level, both domestically and in the Champions League.”The series is set to launch exclusively on Prime Video in summer 2027.

Real Madrid considered Arsenal star as an option before signing Chelsea defenderJose Mourinho is going all out in his bid to strengthen Real Madrid’s defence, and Marc Cucurella has just become the latest piece in his puzzle.The Spanish international has officially completed a move to the Valdebebas in a big-money transfer and appears set to take over from Alvaro Carreras as the team’s first-choice left-back.He was, however, not the manager’s only choice as the club was openly linked to Josko Gvardiol and Riccardo Calafiori as options to reinforce the same position. Cucurella, seemingly, arrives as the team’s backup plan after failing to secure either of the two Premier League stars.A fourth option was involvedAs confirmed in a recent report by AS (h/t Madrid Xtra), Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie was also considered by Real Madrid as an option to reinforce the left-back and left centre-back position this summer, in addition to Gvardiol, Calafiori and Cucurella.Real Madrid considered a move for Hincapie. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)It is not the first time that the Ecuadorian star is being linked with a move to Real Madrid, for he was one of Xabi Alonso’s mainstays during his time at Bayer Leverkusen and sounded strongly as an option to shift clubs with the manager.While Real Madrid did hold talks for a €60 million transfer last year, he eventually signed for Arsenal in a deal involving a similar fee after a loan stint. His profile is the same as what Mourinho demanded for he is a player who can play in both central defence and as a left-back. Cucurella, however, was selected ahead of him by the club.Hincapie. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Sales are neededWith Real Madrid now officially signing Cucurella, the team have four left-backs in him, Alvaro Carreras, Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia.That, needless to say, is a sheer excess of resources and a burden on the wage bill, and Florentino Perez and Co. will be forced to make sales in the department.Garcia, at this point, appears to be the most saleable asset especially given Mendy’s current injury, poor track record and dip in market value. Carreras, meanwhile, will hope to stay and make a case to see more minutes under Jose Mourinho as a competitor to the new signing.

In Iraq’s preparations to face Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, not to mention Sadio Mane and Michael Olise, it would have been easy to get hung up on individuals. Head coach Graham Arnold has naturally been emphasising the collective, the shuttling backline, which is basically the only way to face a task that otherwise would be overwhelmingly daunting.The surprise Asian qualifiers arguably have the tallest task at the entire World Cup 2026. They are considered the team that everyone else will beat in what would usually be known as the group of death.Such terms feel absurdly out of place when you consider what Iraq have been through. If a trio of games against France, Norway and Senegal are more difficult than anyone else has at this tournament, this team knows all about overcoming difficulty.Iraq qualified for just a second-ever World Cup in their history (Getty Images)That naturally applies to much more than their long route to qualification, the difficulties in even getting to the play-off against Bolivia in Mexico due to the Iran war, or even star forward Aymen Hussein enduring hours of questioning on trying to enter the United States.The striker, who scored the goal that beat Bolivia to bring Iraq here, has a personal story that illustrates enough.In 2008, when Hussein was barely out of childhood, his father was killed by Al-Qaeda. A few years later, on returning from a training camp in Turkey with the Iraqi youth football team, he learned his brother had been kidnapped during a period when ISIL (also known as Islamic State)had taken control of his home Kirkuk area.Hussein’s story is a vignette of the kind of strife this squad have had to endure, as well as their families. However, that’s just one side of this team’s story.It’s a side that will inevitably receive a lot of focus but Hussein’s football career offers the other side – the perseverance, the joy.Aymen Hussein scored the goals that saw Iraq reach the World Cup and his story is one of perseverance (Getty Images)The young striker actually wanted to quit the game amid his family’s difficulties, but his mother insisted on continuing. It meant too much to people, to his family, to himself, and to the Iraqi people.Arnold realised the magnitude of that upon taking the job and qualifying.This is a football-obsessed nation of 48 million people who were crying out for World Cup qualification. It is one of those aspirations that countries outside the elite naturally dream of, imagining it might someday be possible, only for the actual reality of it to be so much greater than can be conceived.You only have to hear the noise when Amir Al-Ammari scored a 107th-minute stoppage-time penalty against UAE to take them to the play-off, and then the scenes after Hussein’s goals to make it 2-1 against Bolivia.There was unalloyed joy as Iraq sealed qualification (Getty Images)They beat Bolivia in a play-off to qualify for this summer’s tournament (Getty Images)Such collective joy naturally came from “playing as a team”, as Hussein put it.Arnold has shown his nous there, too. When he arrived, he noted how the Iraq squad were sitting at multiple separate tables. Some of this was a natural split between those who grew up in the country and children of the diaspora.Arnold insisted on one big table.It fits a theme, not only with the team but the country’s football history. If a second World Cup qualification will naturally bring references to their last appearance, in 1986, more relevant might be the historic 2007 Asian Cup win.That was a vintage story of defiance and victory over every challenge possible, that has infused the spirit of Iraqi football.Graham Arnold is the head coach trying to channel the team spirit (Getty Images)Iraq’s greatest moment was winning the 2007 Asian Cup (Getty)It says much they’d never even won a game in the competition heading into the tournament, to go with a long ban from international football, before you even get to how the squad had been preparing in a country ravaged by international sanctions and several wars, with infrastructure and institutions almost totally destroyed.They inevitably faced similar challenges to now, overcame passport issues and team being left in a hotel without transport.And they kept persevering, beating favourites Australia in the groups, until a Younis Mahmoud header against defending champions Saudi Arabia ensured the most improbable of tournament wins.It says much that the ball from that match, signed by all the players, is now up for auction in New York. The dirt from the Indonesia pitch is still on it. There is considerable ex-pat interest.You can’t buy the kind of spirit that Iraq have, though. Their very journey here illustrates that.

The primaries in California took place almost two weeks ago, but the election is far from over. For Republicans who see a landslide for Democrats heading their way in November, the Los Angeles mayoral race has become the template for undermining the results. California primaries for state and local offices aren’t divided by parties, with Republicans and Democrats choosing their nominees. Instead, it’s an open primary, with the top two candidates heading to a run-off in November. If one candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, that candidate automatically wins the election without a run-off. California relies heavily on mail-in voting; all registered voters receive a ballot by mail, though they can still choose to vote in person. Related With its efforts to placate Trump, business is proving once again that it is a fickle LGBTQ+ ally Mail-in voting is time-consuming, particularly when you’re talking about hundreds of thousands of ballots. The early results represent just a small sample of votes, and ballots that arrive later in the process tend to skew more liberal. The Republican candidate, Spencer Pratt, had gotten lots of coverage about how dissatisfaction with incumbent Democrat Karen Bass could vault him into one of the two available slots for November. Pratt launched his campaign in response to losing his house in last year’s Pacific Palisades fire, and Bass was widely criticized for her response to the disaster. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today Pratt is a former reality star (The Hills) who was so disliked that Gayle King called him a “douche canoe” while interviewing him on CBS Mornings about his mayoral campaign. Indeed, Pratt’s campaign relied largely on his fame and on bemoaning what LA had become. He even cut a commercial claiming that the fire forced him to live in a trailer for a while, which turned out to be a lie. He and his family stayed at the upscale Hotel Bel-Air. In a city that is overwhelmingly Democratic, Pratt’s making it to November was always a long shot. All of which means that Pratt’s early lead on election night for the second spot was a mirage. But that didn’t matter to Republicans, starting with Donald Trump, who has proclaimed that the election was stolen. Trump had an epic meltdown on Meet the Press last week after he was challenged for proof for his claim that Pratt’s loss was because “they were cheating.” He insulted the interviewer, Kristen Welker, took off his microphone, and stormed off. Other Republicans picked up the same thread. House Speaker Mike Johnson dutifully parroted that “everybody knows instinctively something is wrong.” For Republicans, the only fair elections are the ones they win. This is a preview of how Republicans will play this November’s election results. They will insist that anything that erodes a Republican’s lead is foul play. Indeed, Trump called on vote counting to stop in several states in 2020 in the vain hope that his slim lead wouldn’t be erased once all votes were tallied. However, this time out, Republicans have a corrupt Department of Justice at their beck and call. The top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, Bill Essayli, went on Glenn Beck’s radio program to predict that indictments were coming, rolling out “multiple investigations.” “It will be election fraud charges in the next — I hate to put timelines on things — one or two months, I believe. We need some of these results to be certified so we can prove some of the allegations,” he said. (When he was in the state legislature, Essayli was a leading proponent of anti-LGBTQ+ measures.) How rigorous are Essayli’s investigations? Besides predicting indictments before investigations are even remotely complete, Essayli asked people on social media to submit evidence of voting fraud. And it’s not just the Justice Department. The Postal Service said that it would refuse to deliver mail ballots in states that refuse to turn over their voter rolls to the administration. Trump wants a national voting database, which would likely result in a mass of people in Democratic strongholds improperly losing their right to vote. Trump knows that if Democrats win control of Congress, his life will be hell for the next two years. Plus, Trump’s fragile ego simply cannot acknowledge loss. That is why he is seeking to suppress voting by Democrats by calling into question the legitimacy of any Democratic victory. The biggest example was one of Trump‘s failures this year (thankfully). The SAVE America Act would have disenfranchised millions of voters (including trans voters) and banned mail ballots. Somehow, Republicans in Congress managed to let the bill die, infuriating Trump. But that doesn’t mean that the threat to free and fair voting is any less real. Trump has threatened to send ICE agents and the National Guard to monitor elections so that they are “honest.” Unsaid is that the targets would be in heavily Democratic areas. The threat is so real that Democrats in Congress recently held a tabletop exercise to determine what they can do if Trump follows through on his efforts to take control of local elections. (The short answer is, not much.) The only question going into the November election is just how and when Trump will interfere with voting. Will he try to intimidate urban voters with troops at the polls? Or will he wait for Republicans to lose before he launches his assault? The Los Angeles episode suggests the latter. After all, that was what Trump did when he lost in 2020. And we all remember too well the violence that followed. 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The third major championship of the season is here.The golf world is descending on Shinnecock Hills in New York this week for the U.S. Open. All eyes, naturally, will be on Scottie Scheffler.The top-ranked golfer in the world is not only a massive favorite to win, but he can make golf history with a victory this week. Scheffler is just a U.S. Open away from completing the career grand slam. He finished T2 back in 2022 for his best finish at the tournament, and was T7 last year between wins at the PGA Championship and British Open. Plenty of other big names can get in his way, however, including Rory McIlroy. He's won back-to-back Masters and hasn't finished outside the top 20 since his win at Augusta in April. Jon Rahm, who is playing perhaps better than any LIV Golf member right now, was the runner up at the PGA Championship last month, too.Here's everything you need to know to keep up with the U.S. Open this week in New York.Where is the U.S. Open?The U.S. Open is being held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York — which sits on the east end of Long Island outside of New York City. It is a frequent U.S. Open stop, most recently in 2018 when Brooks Koepka won the event.When does the tournament begin?The first round of the U.S. Open will kick off on Thursday morning. What are the first round tee times? Tee times for the U.S. Open should be released on Tuesday.Where will the U.S. Open be next?While not every year is finalized yet, the USGA has sites set for future U.S. Opens all the way through 2051.2027: Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California 2028: Winged Foot Golf Club | Mamaroneck, New York 2029: Pinehurst No. 2 | Pinehurst, North Carolina 2030: Merion Golf Club | Ardmore, Pennsylvania 2031: Riviera Country Club | Los Angeles, California 2032: Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California 2033: Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania 2034: Oakland Hills Country Club | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 2035: Pinehurst No. 2 | Pinehurst, North Carolina 2036: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | Southampton, New York 2037: Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California 2038: The Country Club | Brookline, Massachusetts 2039: The Los Angeles Country Club | Los Angeles, California 2040: Merion Golf Club | Ardmore, Pennsylvania 2041: Pinehurst No. 2 | Pinehurst, North Carolina 2042: Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania 2043: TBD 2044: Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California 2045: Inverness Club | Toledo, Ohio 2046: TBD 2047: Pinehurst No. 2 | Pinehurst, North Carolina 2048: TBD 2049: Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania 2050: Merion Golf Club | Ardmore, Pennsylvania 2051: Oakland Hills Country Club | Bloomfield Hills, MichiganWho won last year's U.S. Open?J.J. Spaun won last season at Oakmont, and was actually the only player under par that week. He posted a 2-over in the final round and ended the week at 1-under, two shots better than Robert MacIntyre. That was Spaun's first major title in his career, though he's missed the cut at both the Masters and the PGA Championship this season.The last 10 U.S. Open winners are:2025: J.J. Spaun 2024: Bryson DeChambeau 2023: Wyndham Clark 2022: Matt Fitzpatrick 2021: Jon Rahm 2020: Bryson DeChambeau 2019: Gary Woodland 2018: Brooks Koepka 2017: Brooks Koepka 2016: Dustin JohnsonU.S. Open oddsScottie Scheffler is once again the betting favorite this week at Shinnecock Hills.U.S. Open favorites (via BetMGM):Scottie Scheffler (+550) Rory McIlroy (+1000) Jon Rahm (+1200) Cameron Young (+1800) Bryson DeChambeau (+2000) Ludvig Åberg (+2000) Tommy Fleetwood (+2000) Xander Schauffele (+2000)Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite this week in New York. (Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesHow to watch the U.S. OpenThe U.S. Open is being broadcast this week on NBC, Peacock, USA Network, NBCSN and the Golf Channel.Thursday, June 18 USA Network: 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET Peacock, NBCSN: 5 - 8 p.m. ETFriday, June 19 Peacock: 6:30 - 7:30 a.m. ET NBCSN: 6:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. ET NBC: 1:30 - 7:30 p.m. ETSaturday, June 20 USA Network: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET NBC, Peacock: 12 - 8 p.m.Sunday, June 21 USA Network: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET NBC, Peacock: 12 - 7 p.m. ET U.S. Open purseThe total purse for the U.S. Open will be released later this week. The USGA offered a $21.5 million purse last season, which sent J.J. Spaun home with a $4.3 million check for his win.What about the U.S. Open trophy?The U.S. Open trophy doesn't have a name, but it features a winged figure at the top and has the name of every winner engraved at the base. The original trophy, which was first presented in 1895, was lost in a fire in 1946. The winner receives the trophy after the final round and holds onto it for a year.

The Big 12 has started down the legal path to potentially sanction Texas Tech over its intention to play quarterback Brendan Sorsby.On Monday, the conference filed a 47-page complaint against Texas Tech, the Texas attorney general, the system’s chancellor, the school president and athletic director in seeking declaratory judgement and a preliminary injunction to enable it to enforce its bylaws.In this landmark case — a league filing legally against one of its members — the Big 12 is asking a federal court to bar Texas Tech and the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, from preventing the conference from “exercising its right under its bylaws to sanction Texas Tech,” according to the complaint obtained by Yahoo Sports, which was filed in the Northern District of Texas in Dallas.The league is not seeking damages in the filing and is not challenging a state court ruling deeming Sorsby eligible, but is instead asking a federal judge to permit it to take action against the Red Raiders in light of legal threats made from the Texas attorney general, whose letter to the league last week seems to have triggered the Big 12’s filing. The letter from Paxton’s office demanded that the league refrain from exercising its governance authority, characterizing any sanction as an antitrust violation and threatening joint liability against the conference.Perhaps most notably, the complaint lays out the conference’s intention to sanction Texas Tech if it were to play Sorsby, who has acknowledged to betting on his own team while a freshman at Indiana, violating one of sports’ most sacred policies.According to the filing, Big 12 conference officials, university presidents and athletic directors have requested that Tech not play Sorsby, but “TTU has not agreed,” resulting in the conference considering a variety of sanctions. Big 12 presidents and chancellors are scheduled to meet later Monday afternoon, though a decision on sanctions is not necessarily expected then.“If a vote were to occur however,” the complaint says, “some of the potential sanctions the Board could consider under the bylaws include monetary sanctions and/or a ban on competing in the Big 12 Championship Game.”There is “considerable concern” within the Big 12 that the league will incur “reputational harm and irreparable damage to public and member trust in the integrity of league compensations” if Sorsby were to play and is concerned that the Red Raiders would “take a spot” from another school in the league championship game “with a player that has acted contrary” to conference values.“In an industry that rarely agrees on anything, there is finally an issue that everyone seems to agree on (other than TTU and the Attorney General): universities should not field players who have bet on their own team’s games in college athletics,” the Big 12 writes in the filing.The league is asking a federal judge to grant an injunction to allow it to exercise its “First Amendment” rights to invoke its authority under its bylaws, dismiss Paxton’s claims that any sanction is an antitrust violation and grant it the right to penalize a member school for violating the dormant Commerce Clause, which prevents state governments from enacting laws that impact competition or commence across a variety of states.“The threat that gambling poses to the integrity of athletic competition has been understood — and has been borne out by scandal — for over a century,” the complaint reads. “That history informs the Conference’s values and governance practices and explains why these values are non-negotiable.”The complaint lists as defendants Paxton, Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University System, chancellor Brandon Creighton, president Lawrence Schovanec and athletic director Kirby Hocutt.When reached on Monday, Big 12 officials declined to comment on the filing.The Sorsby case has gripped college athletics.A Texas court judge’s decision last Monday to prohibit the NCAA from enforcing its rule to permanent ban Sorsby from playing college football sent shockwaves through the college community, with one Big 12 athletic director even calling it “total f***ing bulls***” and at least two schools boycotting playing Tech in future competitions.The NCAA denied Sorsby’s request to have his eligibility reinstated after he acknowledged wagering on his own team. In all, Sorsby acknowledged to making at least $90,000 from thousands of impermissible wagering during his college career, which spanned from Indiana to Cincinnati to, now, Texas Tech, which signed him to a one-year contract believed to be worth at least $4 million annually.Even after enrolling at Tech, Sorsby admitted to sending about $5,000 to another person to place bets on his behalf. Upon the NCAA starting an investigation into the quarterback this spring, Sorsby enrolled in treatment for sports gambling addiction and anxiety.After news emerged that the Big 12 was considering sanctioning Tech, Paxton’s office sent a letter to the league Thursday.“The Big 12 is concerned with TTU’s stated plans — communicated by TTU to the Conference and now backed by independent threats from the Attorney General — to field a student-athlete in Conference competitions despite admitted wagering conduct that is both illegal and in direct conflict with the ethical standards and public trust on which Big 12 competition depends,” the complaint says.“The Big 12 and its Member Institutions (apparently save TTU) have no interest in being required to endorse or even appearing to endorse unethical and indeed unlawful conduct that strikes at the heart of athletic integrity,” the suit reads.

Dayo Odeyingbo's first season with the Chicago Bears didn't go according to plan, as he only played in eight games after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Coming off a career year with the Indianapolis Colts in 2024, Odeyingbo received his first big pay day with a three-year, $48 million contract, including $32 million guaranteed, with the Bears last offseason. It was the same offseason that general manager Ryan Poles signed veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, retooled the offensive line, and hired head coach Ben Johnson. With only 16.5 career sacks upon arriving in Chicago, the move seemed questionable, but Odeyingbo planned to prove his worth to the city. In his short sample size last season, he tallied just one sack, four QB hits, 21 tackles, and two tackles for loss.The need for a pass rusher opposite Montez Sweat was obvious when the Bears signed Odeyingbo, and it was apparent when he left. Who knows how his 2025 season would have ended, but having another rusher available would have made a significant impact. With Chicago wrapping their offseason program ahead of training camp next month, Odeyingbo, seven months removed from the Achilles injury, has already been on the practice field, and he seems like a motivated Dayo. The motivated mindset for Odeyingbo has already struck a positive light in Halas Hall, as coaches are impressed to see Odeyingbo ahead of schedule and out on the field before training camp.“This is really a bonus for us," Johnson said. "We weren’t quite sure when we started the offseason program that we would get him for any length of time, but the fact that he’s on the field, he wants to be out there. It’s just another step forward in terms of him gaining confidence again and how he’s moving.“He’s done a great job a great job of being attentive in meetings, and so I know he was really itching to get back out there with his teammates, and so it’s a step in the right direction for sure."The landscape for Odeyingbo and his position has changed since he last played in November, which means a starting role ahead of the 2026 season isn’t guaranteed. The emergence of Austin Booker has given the Bears enough to look forward to – they didn’t even address the position in the draft. And if all goes well in Shemar Turner’s ACL recovery, more reinforcements could be on the way. This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears DE Dayo Odeyingbo ahead of schedule in return from injury

USC football plays Oregon this season, in what is the most important game of the Trojans' campaign. When USC's offense takes the field, it will need to account for Oregon's Koi Perich. ESPN has more on the Ducks' star newcomer:"Oregon didn't need many portal additions, but landing Perich was a major move after Dillon Thieneman departed for the NFL. The former Minnesota standout fills the Ducks' biggest defensive need at safety and helps preserve the playmaking identity that fueled their CFP run. He projects as an immediate impact player in Oregon's secondary under Chris Hampton."Perich arrives with proven production, recording 128 tackles, six interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack over two seasons while earning consecutive All-Big Ten honors. At 6-1 and 200 pounds, he brings a strong blend of range, physicality and coverage instincts that fits the star/rover role in Oregon's defense. He is versatile enough to support aggressive pressure packages while still functioning as a reliable last line of defense. Alongside Aaron Flowers and Brandon Finney Jr., he strengthens Oregon's secondary into one of the more complete units in the country."USC's offense made far too many mistakes and left far too many points on the field against Oregon last season. The Trojans obviously want their defense to be better in 2026 than it was against Oregon in 2025, but in order for USC to have its best chance of winning, the Trojans might need to hang over 40 points on the Ducks. Jayden Maiava will have to keep an eye on Koi Perich and make sure the new Duck isn't able to pull any tricks in the UO secondary.This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football offense will need solutions for Oregon's Koi Perich

Winning teams in the NFL have a coach and quarterback duo that is on the same page. Teams need to be great at both positions, but those connections need to be in complete synergy as part of the formula. The Bears showed that in Year 1, and that fact alone creates even more excitement for what is to come in Chicago. Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson both showed they can be the best at their positions in the league, and that is something Chicago has never had.In a recent tweet, Jacob Infante displays Caleb Williams' thoughts on his relationship with his head coach. Here is what Caleb had to say: “His information, his knowledge, his wisdom….it goes a long way for me. I’m 110% in on whatever he says.”Caleb Williams is as talented as they come at quarterback, but Ben Johnson knows exactly how to utilize Caleb's talent to make the Bears' offense successful. Caleb has trust that Ben Johnson will put him in a position to succeed, and Ben Johnson trusts Caleb Williams to make the game-winning plays. Caleb Williams needs Ben Johnson to get to that next level, and the same vice versa. If those two are on the same page, Chicago will see a lot of wins. That is the winning formula, and more success should be on the way for these two.This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Bears' Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson have bought into each other

A gunman believed he was defending the crowd. He killed an innocent bystander. Should he be convicted of a crime?

(This June 13 story has been repeated with no change to text) BARCELONA, ‌June 13 (Reuters) - Formula One leader Kimi ‌Antonelli's quest to recover a winner's towel swiped by ​Kim Kardashian at the Monaco Grand Prix is over after the Mercedes driver received a replacement from Lewis Hamilton's celebrity friend. Mercedes ‌posted a video ⁠on Instagram of the 19-year-old Italian asking for his towel in the ⁠team garage, after practice for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. He was then handed one ​with 'To Kimi ​from Kim' embroidered ​on it. 'Thank you ‌Kim," he said, putting it around his neck. The missing towel had become a social media video gag, with Antonelli repeatedly asking about its whereabouts. Television images from after Sunday's race ‌in Monaco had appeared ​to show Kardashian, accompanying ​Ferrari driver Hamilton, ​picking the folded item off ‌the number one marker ​and wiping her ​face and sunglasses before walking away with it. Antonelli is chasing his sixth win ​in a ‌row in Sunday's race at the ​Circuit de Catalunya. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, ​Editing by Louise Heavens)

The Oshkosh and Fond du Lac Athlete of the Week poll from June 8 – June 14 is live until noon, Friday, June 19.Cast your vote for an area athlete that participated in sports including baseball and softball.To nominate someone for Athlete of the Week please email BSchultz@usatodayco.com with the athlete’s name, school, sport and why they’re deserving by noon on Sunday to be considered for the next poll.More: Lomira softball secures first state championship in school historyMore: Waupun faces defending state champ Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic at stateNomineesChase Beahm, Waupun baseballBeahm hit a walk-off home run in a 5-4 Division 2 sectional championship win over Little Chute that sent Waupun to the state tournament.More: Chase Beahm leads Waupun to state with walk-off home runJack Brenner, Fond du Lac baseballIn Fond du Lac’s 8-7, nine-inning win over previously undefeated Germantown in a sectional semifinal game, Brenner went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two walks and a home run.Haleigh Caspary, Lomira softballIn Lomira’s first ever state tournament win, Caspary had 14 strikeouts and allowed one hit in a 10-0, five-inning win over Spooner.Past WinnersAug. 21 – Aug. 30: Maya Hawi, Lourdes Academy girls tennis (10,768 votes)Sept. 1 – Sept. 6: Jack O’Brien, Valley Christian cross country (4,437 votes)Sept. 8 – Sept. 14: MaKaelyn Clark, Oshkosh West volleyball (4,685 votes)Sept. 15 – Sept. 21: Finley Morgan, Laconia volleyball (4,786 votes)Sept. 22 – Sept. 28: Tyler Farnsworth, Oshkosh North football (5,107 votes)Sept. 29 – Oct. 5: Alexis Babiash, Waupun volleyball (4,132 votes)Oct. 6 – Oct. 12: Matthias Behling, Valley Christian football (227 votes)Oct. 13 – Oct. 19: Lennon Rauls, Oakfield football (10,582 votes)Oct. 20 – Oct. 26: Sam Flood, United soccer (552 votes)Oct. 27- Nov. 2: Thomas McCarthy, Berlin cross country (115 votes)Nov. 17 – Nov. 23: Joe Promersberger, Mayville football (2,450 votes)Nov. 24 - Nov. 30: Calistin Schommer, North Fond du Lac girls basketball (592 votes)Dec. 1 – Dec. 7: Xander Osinga, Valley Christian basketball (5,025 votes)Dec. 8 - Dec. 14: Caden Umentum, Fond du Lac hockey (4,382 votes)Dec. 15 – Dec. 21: Lucas Neuens, Lourdes Academy basketball (4,823 votes)Dec. 22 – Dec. 28: Nick Oberneder, Fond du Lac hockey (229 votes)Dec. 29 – Jan. 4: Annabelle Chase, Omro basketball (6,813 votes)Jan. 5 – Jan. 11: Lucas Neuens, Lourdes Academy basketball (7,044 votes)Jan. 12 – Jan. 18: Taylor Schladweiler, Campbellsport basketball (8,542 votes)Jan. 19 – Jan. 25: Mya Moran, Valley Christian basketball (9,541 votes)Jan. 26 – Feb. 1: Emerson Wissink, Campbellsport wrestling (7,143 votes)Feb. 2 – Feb. 8: Collin Gamble, Fond du Lac hockey (4,701 votes)Feb. 9 – Feb. 15: Henry Achterberg, Lourdes Academy basketball (12,347 votes)Feb. 16 – Feb. 22: Paige Boevers, Valley Christian basketball (138 votes)Feb. 23 – March 1: Joey Ware, Oshkosh West basketball (2,868 votes)March 2 – March 8: Grace Mitchell, Winneconne basketball (3,998 votes)March 9 – March 15: Josie Christian, Lomira basketball (2,866 votes)March 16 – March 22: Koltyn Kachur, Winneconne track and field (784 votes)March 23 – March 29: Lia Lipinski, Oshkosh West softball (2,263 votes)March 30 – April 5: Addison Braun, Waupun softball (967 votes)April 6 – April 12: Elaina Reichenberger, Lourdes Academy softball (3,210 votes)April 13 – April 19: Caitlyn Krause, Waupun softball (3,237 votes)April 20 – April 26: Lucas Neuens, Lourdes Academy golf (9,633 votes)April 27 – May 3: Avery Mosloski, Oshkosh West baseball (394 votes)May 4 – May 10: Madeline Schwefel, Winnebago Lutheran soccer (8,543 votes)May 11 – May 17: Owen Ehlke, Winnebago Lutheran baseball (6,038 votes)May 18 – May 24: Kylie Triebold, Oshkosh West track and field (1,476 votes)May 25 – May 31: Tanner Schneider, Mayville baseball (2,455 votes)June 8 – June 14: Grant Wenzelow, Winneconne track and field (6,437 votes)Contact or send game stats/info to Ben Schultz at BSchultz@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @benschultz52.This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh, Fond du Lac Athlete of the Week poll for June 8-14

Michigan State is now officially in need of a new athletic director.The news broke on Saturday afternoon that Spartans athletic director J Batt was the lead target for the same position at Kentucky, and on Monday morning Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that a deal has been finalized. According to Thamel, Batt has finalized a 6-year deal to make him Kentucky’s next Athletic Director and CEO of Champions Blue, the school’s for-profit LLC.Sources: J Batt and Kentucky have finalized a 6-year deal to make him the school’s next Athletic Director and CEO of Champions Blue, the school’s for-profit LLC. His fundraising ability led the Kentucky brass to target him. He’ll replace Mitch Barnhart. https://t.co/ngxHDKty7y— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 15, 2026The news of Batt's departure has not been officially announced by either Kentucky, Michigan State or Batt himself. But with a report like this from Thamel, we can treat this as a done deal and the Spartans back on the market for a new athletic director.Batt was officially hired by Michigan State to replace Alan Haller as the athletic director last June. In a short time as the Spartans' athletic director, Batt has helped found Spartan Ventures to transform that athletic department’s fundraising and also replaced Jonathan Smith with Pat Fitzgerald as the head football coach.Losing Batt to Kentucky is a tough blow for the Spartans as they try to find a source of stability at the top of their athletics department. Michigan State will now be in search of its third athletic director in less than two years, and hopefully this time they'll land someone who'll be there for the long haul.Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU AD J Batt reportedly signs 6-year deal for same role at Kentucky

Conor McGregor has first-hand experience of suffering a big upset loss in the UFC.Like McGregor, Ilia Topuria started off his UFC run undefeated and emerged into one of the sport's most popular stars. Topuria took things a step further by becoming the first undefeated dual-champion in UFC history, and was a massive favorite going into Saturday's lightweight title-unification bout against Justin Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) at UFC Freedom 250 from the White House in Washington.Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) wound up suffering a doctor's stoppage TKO at the end of Round 4 after being battered and bloodied throughout the fight. McGregor, whose first UFC loss came in a submission to underdog Nate Diaz at UFC 196, reacted to Topuria's loss."He quit himself. Sad to see. He earned a nice stripe however tainted, he will get stronger from this beating. What a sport!"He quit himself. Sad to see. He earned a nice stripe however tainted, he will get stronger from this beating. What a sport! https://t.co/k13MCrVIXH— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 15, 2026McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) returns from a five-year long layoff in a rematch against Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). With Holloway face planting Gaethje in a dominant knockout win at UFC 300, McGregor is excited for the opportunity to re-make his mark."Holloway flatlined Justin. Face down, out cold. It is a glorious time to be in the McGregor fight business!"Holloway flatlined Justin. Face down, out cold.It is a glorious time to be in the McGregor fight business!— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 15, 2026This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Conor McGregor: Ilia Topuria 'quit' vs. Gaethje, but will get stronger