Sports

Tommy John, the four-time All-Star left-hander who won 288 games and lent his name to the elbow surgery that has saved thousands of careers, died Saturday at his home in Bradenton, Florida. He was 83. The New York Yankees announced his death in a statement Sunday. No cause was given, but John had been in hospice and had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and other ailments in recent years.

Three of the Premier League's biggest names are at the center of the transfer window's final stretch. Chelsea are weighing an enormous decision on Enzo Fernandez, Arsenal have been linked with a surprise swoop for Victor Osimhen, and Rodri's standoff with Manchester City shows no sign of ending.

Fernando Mendoza's first taste of NFL action came with a footnote for the record books. The Raiders' rookie quarterback threw a touchdown in his preseason debut Thursday night, becoming the first No. 1 overall pick to do so since Baker Mayfield in 2018. The Heisman Trophy winner completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards across four drives in Las Vegas' 27-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, showing flashes of the player the franchise drafted to be its future, and moments that reminded everyone he is still a rookie.

Lionel Messi may be nearing the end of his playing career. The 39-year-old Argentina legend said he has "serious doubts" about continuing in football, in an emotional Instagram message following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away this past weekend at 68. The tribute reveals a painful backstory to Messi's final World Cup: he played the entire tournament knowing his father was gravely ill back home.

Geneva, Ohio, population 5,806, is not where anyone expected America's 250th birthday sports spectacle to land. But this week the small Northeast Ohio town is hosting the Patriot Games, a nationally televised youth competition where 120 teenagers are chasing a $250,000 scholarship prize pool, with President Donald Trump expected at the finals.

DiJonai Carrington was back on the court Monday when the Chicago Sky faced the Seattle Storm, just two days after being ejected from a volatile game against the Indiana Fever and posting a message on Threads that set off a national conversation about race, accountability, and how the WNBA handles what its players say publicly.

Aurelien Tchouameni is staying at Real Madrid. The Spanish club confirmed the French midfielder has reported for pre-season and completed his medical at Ciudad Real Madrid, drawing a line under weeks of speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United.

Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom posted a video on X this week declaring himself eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft, arguing the league's eligibility rules rely on self-identification because they never define what "woman" means. Hours later, former NBA first-round pick Royce White, currently running in a Republican primary for a Minnesota State Senate seat, made a similar declaration on Fox News: "I'm transgender. I'm a woman." Both men say their intent is to test the WNBA's eligibility framework, not to mock transgender people. The declarations have landed squarely in the middle of an already heated conversation about gender, fairness, and inclusion in women's professional basketball.

Don Nelson, one of the most creative and influential figures in NBA history, died Sunday, August 9, 2026. He was 86. A family statement confirmed the news but did not specify a cause of death. Nelson gave more than five decades to professional basketball. He arrived as a tenacious forward who won five NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, then spent 31 seasons as a head coach redefining what the game could look like. His final record of 1,335 wins and 1,063 losses across four franchises makes him the second-winningest coach in league history, a position he will hold permanently.