6:22 PM ET Jeff Wagenheim As the PFL playoffs continue with semifinals in two weight classes on Thursday in Hollywood, Florida (live on ESPN+; 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+), the emerging narrative could be that a dominant champion remains in the driver’s seat. Or it could be that someone new is about to take the
10:54 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Jaime Munguia and Gabe Rosado have been on a collision course for a fall fight, but plans could change after a move from the WBC. The Mexico City-based organization ordered a middleweight title eliminator between Munguia and Sergiy Derevyanchenko, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told ESPN on Thursday. If no deal
10:35 PM ET NFL NationESPN The second full week of preseason kicks off Thursday, one of five straight days with NFL action. With only two more games before the regular-season opener, expect more starters and names you know to be playing this week. Things started off Thursday with the New England Patriots traveling to play
Test skipper Tim Paine Friday backed embattled Australian coach Justin Langer after “robust discussions” among senior players amid dressing-room leaks and reports of discontent over his management style. Langer has come under a barrage of scrutiny in the wake of consecutive white-ball series losses to the West Indies and Bangladesh, with friction over his intense
2:47 PM ET This story is developing. Police arrested a former Miami football player Thursday in the November 2006 shooting death of teammate Bryan Pata, nearly 15 years after the crime and nine months after an ESPN investigation pointed out missteps in the long-stalled police inquiry. Miami-Dade Police said U.S. marshals arrested Rashaun Jones, 35,
5:45 PM ET Glendale is terminating its lease with the Arizona Coyotes for Gila River Arena after the 2021-22 season, the city announced in a statement on Thursday. The Coyotes have played at the city-owned Gila River Arena for the past 18 seasons. However the sides have been operating on year-by-year agreements since 2016, unable
4:25 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LeBron James took to Twitter to react to ESPN’s offseason survey of 10 NBA scouts and executives leaving him without a single vote for the title of best player in the NBA. James responded to a tweet sarcastically saying he was washed-up as a player, then sent out a separate
7:00 AM ET We’re more than halfway through August, and teams are making a statement in the MLB playoff races ahead of the final stretch. Have the Yankees surpassed the Red Sox in our rankings? Are the surging Braves finally in the top 10? Who’s on top in the seemingly eternal battle between the Dodgers
5:07 PM ET ESPN News Services Michigan defenseman Owen Power has elected to return to school for his sophomore season rather than make the jump to the NHL after being selected with the No. 1 pick by the Buffalo Sabres in last month’s draft, according to multiple reports. In doing so, Power will become the
4:37 PM ET ESPN staff Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley were spotted hanging out together, but their friendly camaraderie ended once their teams took the field for joint practices Thursday. Cleveland and New York certainly aren’t the only teams squaring off this week during 2021 NFL training
4:20 PM ET ESPN News Services The Dallas Mavericks are hiring two-time WNBA champion Kristi Toliver as an assistant coach, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Toliver has previous NBA coaching experience. She spent parts of two seasons as an assistant on the Washington Wizards’ staff. Toliver is currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks where
10:00 AM ET Austin LindbergESPN FC First it was Tanner Tessmann. Then it was Sam Vines. Now it’s Gianluca Busio. Three homegrown players from Major League Soccer (two of whom, Tessmann and Busio, are teenagers) are leaving their clubs midseason for the brighter lights of European football. Tessmann and Busio are moving to Venezia FC,
1:00 AM ET Manouk Akopyan LOS ANGELES — Filipino featherweight Mark Magsayo was starstruck the first time he met his idol Manny Pacquiao on the Philippines senate floor on Dec. 5, 2017. The moment occurred on his wife and manager Frances’ birthday and a week after he scored his 18th professional win. Pacquiao publicly praised
4:05 PM ET Corey LaJoie will miss Sunday’s race at Michigan because of NASCAR’s COVID-19 protocols. LaJoie posted “Protocols” on Twitter in what appeared to be clarification that he has not tested positive for COVID-19 and was missing the race because of NASCAR’s pandemic rules. Spire Motorsports said Thursday that Josh Berry will replace LaJoie
8:00 AM ET This time a year ago, only a few conferences were planning to play college football because of COVID-19 concerns. Therefore, ESPN’s preseason All-America team was reduced to a smaller pool of players. But our 2021 team is back to full strength, and 14 of the 26 players are on teams ranked in
2:57 PM ET Associated Press CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Nelly Korda‘s sensational summer form is showing no sign of dipping. Two weeks after winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, the top-ranked Korda began her bid for a second major title in two months by shooting 5-under 67 to share the first-round lead at the
1:26 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN In the end, Canelo Alvarez got his man. Boxing’s top star and Caleb Plant have agreed to terms for a November pay-per-view fight, sources told ESPN, that will be presented by PBC along with Canelo Promotions. The deal ends weeks of stop-and-start negotiations between ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer and
12:20 PM ET The NHL will allow teams to sell advertising on their jerseys beginning in the 2022-23 season. The measure has been approved by the board of governors, and teams are already having exploratory conversations with potential sponsors. To say those teams are salivating at the potential revenue the ads will generate is an