11:39 PM BST Aaron Smith has played his last game for New Zealand in the Rugby Championship this year, with the scrum-half to remain at home for the birth of his second child. The All Blacks No. 9 did not travel to Australia with the squad ahead of the Test with the Wallabies in Perth,
International cricketers should support Afghanistan’s men’s team, not punish them by boycotting matches if the Taliban bars women from playing, the former director of the women’s side said. Tuba Sangar, who fled the country for Canada shortly after the fall of the country to the hardline Islamist group, warned that sports sanctions would damage the
5:19 PM ET Live to fight another day. That was likely what Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman was thinking around the hour mark on Tuesday when, 2-0 down at home and on the way to defeat against Bayern Munich, he hooked veterans Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto and did the football equivalent of a bedraggled basketball
11:11 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Seattle has been chosen to host Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in 2023, sources familiar with the decision told ESPN on Tuesday. Plans to bring the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby
7:08 PM BST England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) has set its sights on hosting the 2031 World Cup, chairman Tom Ilube said Tuesday. England last staged the global showpiece event in 2015 when their team under coach Stuart Lancaster went out of the tournament at the group stage. “We would like to bid for that
4:30 PM ET The NFL Players Association determined Josh Gordon has successfully completed his NFL-monitored treatment program and has recommended to the league that he be reinstated, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Gordon, 30, is awaiting final approval from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but he is vaccinated against COVID-19 and said to be ready to
7:09 PM ET Associated Press Former Boston Bruins center Fred Stanfield, the mild-mannered sidekick to Bobby Orr on the high-scoring teams of the early 1970s, has died. He was 77. Stanfield died Monday and the Bruins announced his death Tuesday. A cause of death was not given. A native of Toronto, Stanfield played six seasons
7:12 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR will open the 2022 season inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in one of the biggest shake-ups to its schedule in years. The annual exhibition the Clash, held at Daytona International Speedway since 1979, will shift to Los Angeles next year. The invitation-only race was always
1:18 PM ET Ohio State is set to make structural changes on its defense after Saturday’s loss to Oregon, although coach Ryan Day isn’t providing many specifics, including whether defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs will remain the primary playcaller. On Tuesday, Day said Ohio State’s problems on defense stretch beyond the Oregon game. The Ducks had
5:54 PM ET The Division I football oversight committee is considering a one-year waiver that would allow football programs to go over the yearly 25-player signing limit, according to American Football Coaches Association director Todd Berry. In the proposal, which Berry makes clear is far from finalized, college programs would be able to recoup an
6:45 AM ET NFL NationESPN This week’s edition of the 2021 NFL Power Rankings is all about first impressions, as after months of buildup and hype, we got to see every NFL team take the field for the first time in a game that counts. But first impressions from Week 1 go well beyond team
4:29 PM ET Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has agreed to a four-year, $92 million contract extension, his agent, Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports, confirmed to the Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears Tuesday. The deal, which was first reported by The Athletic, includes a player option for the fourth year in 2025-26, his agent told ESPN.
2:24 PM ET The Houston Rockets and John Wall have agreed to work together in an attempt to find a trade destination for the veteran point guard, as the franchise is committed to moving forward with Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green as its starting backcourt, sources told ESPN. The commitment to the 20-year-old Porter
3:06 PM ET Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. — Former New York Rangers forward Jim Vesey is among three players the New Jersey Devils have signed to tryout contracts. The Devils also announced Tuesday the signings of center Mark Jankowski and defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon. They will join the team when all players report to the NHL
12:27 PM ET ESPN News Services Ryan Braun, the 2011 National League MVP and franchise home run king for the Milwaukee Brewers, announced his retirement Tuesday. The six-time All-Star selection has not played this season after becoming a free agent when the Brewers declined to exercise a $15 million mutual option in his contract last
9:02 AM ET Associated Press Patrick Cantlay was voted PGA Tour player of the year on the strength of his four victories, including a 1-shot advantage at East Lake that made him the FedEx Cup champion. Tuesday’s announcement was another big step for Cantlay, a 29-year-old Californian who went from being the No. 1 amateur
From swimming to soccer, running to horse riding, Afghanistan’s new sports chief said Tuesday that the Taliban will allow 400 sports — but declined to confirm if women can play a single one. “Please don’t ask more questions about women,” Bashir Ahmad Rustamzai told AFP, from an armchair where Afghanistan’s Olympic Committee president had sat
11:43 AM ET The New Orleans Saints have had five offensive coaches test positive for COVID-19, calling into question their status for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. However, one team source said, “We’ll be just fine.” Saints head coach Sean Payton said during the summer that the team’s