NEW YORK – Sitting on a gray couch in the Citi Field visitor’s clubhouse, James Wood studied a 64-square checkerboard. This was the 23-year-old outfielder’s second game of chess of the afternoon. Moments before, Wood had just said the magic word — checkmate — to shortstop CJ Abrams, defeating his Washington Nationals teammate before moving…
Forty-eight teams from across the globe are locked in with stars like Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé eyeing their second World Cup this summer. Others like Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and England’s Harry Kane are eyeing their first. The prize in question, the World Cup trophy, is more fascinating than most fans think. And…
The Los Angeles Rams shocked the football world when they took Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. While the Rams stunned just about everyone on Thursday night, though, the decision was the culmination of multiple months of work on Simpson, according to head coach Sean McVay. In…
On Wednesday night, 24-year-old American international Johnny Cardoso etched his name into the history books and joined an elite club among USA soccer greats. After seeing just 60 seconds of action in the quarterfinal clincher against Barcelona, Cardoso was a surprise inclusion in the starting XI for the first leg of the Champions League semifinal…
Algeria have been hit with a significant injury scare ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with goalkeeper Luca Zidane emerging as a major doubt for the tournament. The Granada shot-stopper, son of France legend Zinedine Zidane, suffered a serious facial injury during a Spanish second-division clash against Almeria on Sunday. Disaster strikes in Segunda División…
Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi will miss the return leg of the Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich because of a right thigh injury, the French club said Wednesday. The Morocco right back sustained the injury during PSG’s thrilling 5-4 win over Bayern in the first leg on Tuesday. He will be out of action…
Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers placed the unrestricted free-agent tender on veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who led the team to an AFC North title at 10-7 last season … but he still hasn’t signed a contract, and we don’t definitively know who the team’s 2026 starting quarterback is. That leads us to second-year quarterback Will Howard…
Fomer Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez tested positive for four anabolic steroids at the World Baseball Classic in March, where he set a record as its oldest ever player. The 44-year-old Cuban tested positive for “metabolites of mesterolone, metandienone, oxandrolone and stanozolol,” the International Testing Agency said Wednesday in announcing his provisional ban from…
Zaragoza’s Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada was given a 12-match suspension for punching an opponent in a second-division soccer game in Spain this weekend. Andrada was also suspended for one more match for a red card he was shown before the punch. The game was in its final minutes when Andrada shoved Huesca defender Jorge Pulido…
FIFA has opened talks about requiring all professional teams to field at least one homegrown young player throughout games. The FIFA Council agreed late Tuesday to try to have a formal plan within a year after global consultation with stakeholders. The target is to increase playing opportunities for young players nurtured by clubs who typically…
