8:58 PM GMT The Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Wednesday it was cutting its funding of clubs in the Championship, the second tier of English rugby union, by almost half next season. The RFU said its contribution towards the 12 Championship clubs next season will be around 3.46 million pounds ($4.48 million), or 288,000
7:40 PM ET Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. — The rebuild may not be quite over yet but the Chicago White Sox hope the fun is already beginning. Three years of rebuilding and overhauling the roster have brought in young players who are developing into stars. The offseason was highlighted by the additions of All-Star catcher
5:11 PM ET PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif.– Rory McIlroy is No. 1 for the first time in more than four years, but he doesn’t view it as any grand achievement, especially since he took over the top spot from Brooks Koepka despite not playing last week. “I’ve already had that euphoric moment in 2012,” McIlroy said
10:00 PM GMT Lungi Ngidi knows a thing or two about making a comeback. In his short international career, which has just turned two years old, he has already had to recover from a stress fracture, a side strain and a slew of hamstring niggles, the latest of which kept him out of this summer’s
6:50 AM ET The best moves at the NHL trade deadline are usually the ones teams don’t make. Sure, there’s always a chance a team finds that perfect, Butch Goring-sized puzzle piece to complete a championship picture. But more often than not, the NHL trade deadline is like impulse-buying a poorly constructed boat: filled with
9:04 AM ET For as long as six-year pro and super middleweight world titleholder Caleb Plant can remember, he dreamed of having a world title fight in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. “It’s something I have wanted, really, since I was a little kid,” said Plant, who grew up outside of Nashville in Ashland City,
4:41 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — A flight restriction issued by the Federal Aviation Administration indicates that President Donald Trump is expected to attend Sunday’s Daytona 500. The U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for presidential security, also tweeted to fans that drones are prohibited within 30 miles of Daytona International Speedway — a
4:54 PM ET Middleweight world titlist Gennadiy Golovkin’s mandatory defense against Kamil Szeremeta remains unsettled and likely will move into at least April, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN on Wednesday. Initially, the plan was for Golovkin to defend against Szeremeta on Feb. 29, probably at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, but that was backed
4:43 PM ET UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn was in a single-vehicle crash last week and is currently under investigation for possible DUI, a Hawaii Police Department spokesperson confirmed Wednesday with ESPN. There are currently no charges against Penn, 41. Police responded to calls of a black truck speeding, losing control and flipping into
3:08 PM ET ESPN News Services Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were buried Feb. 7 in a private ceremony in Corona del Mar, California, according to death certificates released Tuesday by Los Angeles County officials. The burial occurred at Pacific View Memorial Park, which is near the family’s home in Orange County. Burial originally
6:00 AM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots’ season ended in a wild-card loss on Jan. 4, and since that time, not a day has passed in which quarterback Tom Brady’s uncertain future hasn’t been a hot topic. It’s understandable given his iconic status. The myriad possibilities spark widespread speculation and intrigue. But
2:25 PM ET Ericka N. Goodman-Hughey The denim skirt Serena Williams wore during an exhibition match on Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day at the 2004 US Open wasn’t her favorite on-court look. Still, the 23-time Grand Slam champion thinks it was worth an honorable mention. Moments before showcasing her S by Serena Spring 2020 presentation at
7:30 AM ET Scouting is an inexact science. Just look at the years-later reaction to every NHL draft after any given player has a modicum of NHL success, especially those who were drafted outside of the top 10. “How did he go that low in the draft? How did all of those teams pass on
7:00 AM ET Each offseason, after the recruiting season has been finalized and the first major wave of transfer portal entries has come and gone, I publish preliminary SP+ ratings for the coming season. I base these projections on three primary factors, weighted by their predictiveness: 1. Returning production. Last week we published my initial
11:42 AM ET The 2019 coaching carousel spun very slowly — and with the volume on low. This cycle projected to be quiet and ended up even quieter, as potentially landscape-shifting jobs like USC and Auburn remained filled. But there were still several strong hires made, which should pay off in the coming years. Unlike
Renault need to “regain confidence” this season after a tough 2019, their Formula 1 boss Cyril Abiteboul says. They fell from fourth to fifth in the world championship last season, which led to a significant staff reshuffle and their technical director’s exit. “Taking back fourth position in the constructors’ championship remains the objective,” Abiteboul said.
1:38 PM ET After a slow start, the 2019-20 college football coaching cycle seemingly won’t end. Colorado is the latest school in the market for a new coach. Mel Tucker is off to Michigan State after only one year at CU, where he went 5-7, beat Washington and Nebraska, and signed a top-35 recruiting class.
10:54 AM ET Featherweight world titleholder Josh Warrington has signed with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing after parting ways with Hearn rival Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions. Warren said in a statement issued on Wednesday that they had ended their relationship at the conclusion of his Warrington’s promotional agreement. “I am happy to say that