The Dodgers were a long way from Los Angeles on Tuesday but with Shohei Ohtani and two more Japanese stars they were the home team for Tokyo fans in a historic MLB season-opening 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ohtani had two hits and scored twice, with starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting the win for five … Read more
As unpalatable as it may be to fans, there are times when NFL teams must rejig their roster to cast off contracts which could get in the way of future success. The San Francisco 49ers, who have appeared in four of the last six NFC Championship games, and two of the last six Super Bowls, … Read more
Pressure? It comes with the territory for Mauricio Pochettino, what with his territory these days being the United States and the job of managing the men’s national team. For a World Cup. That the US will largely host next year. And yet Pochettino felt the dial turn a little further on the Friday before last … Read more
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Tom Garry After a three-month wait for restless fans since the conclusion of the group stage, Europe’s top clubs finally return to continental action this week as the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals get under way. The main question on everybody’s mind … Read more
There are only two teenage players currently in the top 100 of the WTA rankings. Women’s tennis, in some ways, was built on the success of its legendary child prodigies – from Chris Evert and Monica Seles to Martina Hingis and the Williams sisters – players who audaciously stormed towards the top of the sport … Read more
GOING SOUTH It can’t have been a coincidence (it was) that the announcement of a resurrected North v South football match came so swiftly after Newcastle beat a team wearing red 2-1 in a Wembley cup final. That happens also to be exactly what transpired when they faced Arsenal in the 1932 FA Cup showpiece, … Read more
The player advocacy organization founded by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil has launched a lawsuit against the governing bodies of professional tennis, marking an escalation in its battle to secure better rights for players. The six-year-old Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which has struggled to drive change from outside the system, is now pursuing legal … Read more
Curious things, friendships. How they wax and wane as people’s lives and circumstances change, strained by time or distance. Friendships between football supporters can be similarly curious in their formation. Some are more easy to understand, often born out of shared values, perhaps colours, or out of a simplistic attitude of “my enemies’ enemy is … Read more
On the podcast today: Chelsea claimed the season’s first silverware, edging past Manchester City in the Subway Women’s League Cup final to keep their quadruple hopes alive. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The panel dissects the performance, the key moments, and the controversial state of the Pride Park pitch. Elsewhere, the WSL saw major … Read more
Revenues in elite women’s sports are growing significantly faster than previously predicted and are forecast to reach at least $2.35bn (£1.82bn) globally in 2025, according to new Deloitte research. Leaping ahead of women’s football, women’s basketball is now projected to generate more than $1bn of revenue alone in 2025, up 44%. In 2023, Deloitte reported … Read more