One of the newest premium live events in WWE took place Saturday with Bash in Berlin, marking another pay-per-view across the pond for the company, but the first ever in Germany.

It was not a heavy card with only five matches scheduled to take place, but three of them were for titles, including the Undisputed WWE Championship match between friends Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens, as well as the World Heavyweight Championship bout between Gunther and the icon Randy Orton. The women’s tag titles were on the line as well, and two of the top feuds in wrestling had another battle. European crowds have given WWE an electric atmosphere this year, and this time around, we were treated to one of the greatest crowds of all-time.

Here’s everything that happened during the Bash in Berlin.

When is the next WWE PPV event?

WWE’s next PPV event will be NXT No Mercy, scheduled for September 1 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. The next international PPV event will be Crown Jewel on November 2 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Gunther vs. Randy Orton for the World Championship

The Ring General’s first title defense as the World Heavyweight Champion came against ‘The Viper’ Randy Orton. After over a year as the Intercontinental Champion, many people expect Gunther to maintain his newest title for a considerable length of time.

As Gunther entered the ring, the man normally known for being pure business couldn’t contain his excitement to perform in front of the Berlin crowd, giving them a ‘Let’s Go!’ before crawling into the ring. Another big moment came just moments later when Gunther’s lackey Ludwig Kaiser grabbed the mic from Samantha Irvin and addressed the crowd in German. It was only fitting that he would announce Gunther’s participation as well.

The moment the match started, the crowd erupted in a German song, keeping Gunther and Randy Orton from going after one another. It was clear they were excited to see these two titans duke it out.

The beginning of the fight was a tremendous display of athleticism from both wrestlers. Every headlock was immediately countered. Every time someone got the upper hand, it would be reversed almost instantaneously. The first person to get a legitimate upper hand was Gunther, who put Orton’s left hand in a tough hold behind his back. Orton was able to force a break by reaching the ropes though.

This fight had numerous breaks due to the crowd getting too excited. Orton even played into it at one point, raising his hands during a break in the action to gauge the crowd’s response. Orton told Gunther to do it as well, but the Ring General, ever the professional, did not.

Soon after, the match would get moved outside the ring, where Orton dominated Gunther, launching him onto the announcers’ table four times. When the match got back into the ring, Orton continued to physically dominate Gunther, something we haven’t seen happen often. Orton went as far to embarrass Gunther, putting the Ring General’s head under his knee while Orton nodded to the crowd.

It took quite a while before Gunther started to gain some momentum, and any momentum he had gained was halted when he injured his right hand. Every chop, punch, or elbow he landed with that hand made the Ring General grimace in pain.

Gunther still managed to hold his own though, until Orton hit Gunther with a quick jab to the face, an illegal move, right in front of the referee, which led to a DDT with Gunther on the second rope.

Orton had the opportunity to win after that move, but with the crowd chanting for an RKO, Orton didn’t opt for the pin. Once Gunther got up, Orton attempted an RKO, but was caught by Gunther, who kicked Orton in the chest. Gunther attempted to follow that up with two power bombs, but each time his injured arm gave out, arguably saving Orton’s hopes of the title.

The third time was the charm though. After Orton nearly recovered and was able to turn the fight around, Gunther finally landed the power bomb, only for Orton to kick out at two. Orton retaliated with his first RKO of the match, but he was unable to turn his finisher into a victory. Both fighters were exhausted.

Gunther was seriously hurt, and Orton took the opportunity to build a platform out of the steel steps, which he repeatedly bounced Gunther off of, before slamming him through the announcer’s table.

Orton dragged Gunther back into the ring, but let the crowd get to him. He started to showboat, giving Gunther just enough time to recover and avoid Orton’s next RKO. Gunther immediately turned that failed RKO into a sleeper hold. Gunther maintained that hold for about 45 seconds before Orton broke free. But Gunther would immediately land a chop to Orton’s back and re-grip the sleeper hold. Even when Orton tried to break the hold by carrying Gunther on his back and slamming him, Gunther popped right back up to re-equip his sleeper hold.

Eventually, it became too much for Orton to bear. Despite dominating for most of the fight, Gunther got the finishing blow, forcing Orton unconscious with a nearly three-minute consecutive sleeper hold. Gunther is still the World Heavyweight Champion.

Following the match, the pair met at the center of the ring to shake hands, showing mutual respect between both fighters.

Liv Morgan & Dominik Mysterio vs. Rhea Ripley & Damian Priest

The love triangle between Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, and Dominik Mysterio earned a new chapter today as the new power couple of Dirty Dom and women’s world champion Liv Morgan went to battle against Dom’s former teammates in the Terror Twins Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley.

However, the couple looked anything but powerful as the match started. Damian Priest went to town on Dominik Mysterio putting all of his anger into massacring Mysterio with back elbows and kicks to the face. Before Priest could finish the match, Morgan made the tag with Mysterio, and much like Priest, Ripley absolutely dominated the beginning of her matchup against Liv Morgan.

No matter who was in the ring, Mysterio and Morgan looked outclassed and on their way to an embarrassing defeat. It wasn’t until Morgan distracted Priest from outside the ring when Mysterio would get a hit in, launching Priest into the steel steps, and then flipping onto Priest for a cover attempt.

Mysterio started taking control of the match afterwards, landing tornado DDTs and even putting Priest in a headlock before Priest was finally able to tag Rhea Ripley. Unlike Priest, Ripley continued her domination from earlier, hitting Morgan with running knees, German suplexes, and even an elbow to the face before slamming Dominik Mysterio and putting him in a headlock with her legs.

Rhea’s domination would lead way to a double razor’s edge decimating Morgan and Mysterio. Before Priest could finish the match though, the rest of Judgment Day: JD McDonagh, Carlito, and Finn Balor came out of the woodworks to protect their teammates.

Priest was unable to overcome the attack, giving Mysterio an opportunity to win after landing a 619. Priest kicked out though.

Ripley re-entering the ring was all the Terror Twins needed to win the match. Ripley landed a backbreaker and riptide on Morgan, while Priest ensured no one from Judgment Day could interfere any longer. In the end, Ripley would pin Morgan for the win.

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk strap match

This fight started before the match began. During CM Punk’s entrance, McIntyre took advantage when Punk turned his back and started attacking Punk before the pair were even strapped together.

After McIntyre threw Punk back into the ring, McIntyre strapped his own arm and then asked the referee to start he match. The ref refused though, forcing McIntyre to strap Punk on his own. Finally, the match begun, and McIntyre continued his onslaught, including touching one corner.

Punk was able to flip the match on its head though. He had every opportunity to start touching turnbuckles, but instead, Punk was reveling in the opportunity to beat McIntyre to a pulp. Even after McIntyre had been down for a minute, Punk did not turn on a single light in the corners.

The next several minutes of the match didn’t take place in the ring at all. The pair traded blows with Punk flipping McIntyre on the announcers’ table. McIntyre launching Punk into the corner headbutting him. The fight would eventually move back into the ring with CM Punk bleeding from his forehead.

Both fighters landed serious blows after this. McIntyre landed a devastating claymore. Punk dragged McIntyre into a chair in one of the corners that McIntyre had set up earlier. Each fighter had tapped three turnbuckles, but neither was able to secure the fourth and the victory. The closest either fighter came to victory though was after McIntyre launched CM Punk into a table and started carrying his battered body through the ring. As McIntyre touched each corner, Punk sneakily touched them all as well, leaving just one corner for both fighters to touch. Unfortunately, neither would get there before the lights reset.

Following a few more blows from each fighter, McIntyre started to get cocky, and even started wearing the bracelet with Punk’s wife and dog’s names. That’s the very bracelet that has caused Punk so much distress. However, this move would give Punk some extra motivation. After falling to a Claymore, McIntyre nearly hit all four turnbuckles, but Punk would retaliate by putting McIntyre into the floor with four GTS’s, one before each corner to win the match, but not before stripping McIntyre of that annoying bracelet.

Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair vs. Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn

The second match of the bash featured two of the biggest stars in WWE – teammates Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill – vying for the women’s tag team championship against the Unholy Union, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn.

Belair and Cargill wasted no time establishing themselves as the favorites. Both Belair and Cargill landed massive blows on Alba Fyre. In fact, it took interference from Isla Dawn in order for Fyre to land a single blow on Bianca Belair, finally throwing Belair through the ropes by her hair, then jumping through the ropes to attack Jade Cargill.

The tide of the fight had been turned. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn were being menaces to Belair, who could not tag Cargill to get out of the ring. Fyre even landed a move that not only countered a grab from Belair and turned it into a DDT, but also kicked Cargill in the face, knocking her off the apron.

After a suplex to Isla Dawn, Belair was finally able to tag Cargill. Cargill was fresh and wasted no time putting Dawn to the mat over and over, but Dawn refused to get pinned.

Cargill had the champs’ numbers, but still tagged Belair back in sooner than expected. That gave Fyre and Dawn exactly what they wanted as the pair landed a devastating tag team move on Belair, which would’ve ended the match if Cargill didn’t dive into the ring to break up the cover.

Each team had their opportunities to win the match after, but it would be Belair and Cargill to get the last laugh. After the pair teamed up to take Fyre out of the match, Dawn could not handle the onslaught from her opponents. Cargill landed the pin, and we officially have new women’s tag team champions.

Kevin Owens vs. Cody Rhodes for the Universal Championship

The crowd in Berlin wasted no time demonstrating their love for WWE. As the Universal Champion Cody Rhodes made his way out to the ring, the entire crowd was singing his theme.

Even after the match started, it took several minutes for Owens and Rhodes to go after one another, waiting for a moment of lapse in the German crowd’s cheers. Once the match got going, Owens was the first person to land a major shot, knocking Rhodes to the mat with a shoulder bash bouncing off the ropes.

Owens appeared to have the upper hand on Rhodes early on. Even when Rhodes would get Owens into position for a Crossrhodes, Owens would escape the hold and attempt a counter of his own. Rhodes would jump through the ropes to attack Owens, but Owens would catch him and land a blow of his own.

Rhodes would actually be the first person to land a cover though. Owens faced no trouble kicking out, but Rhodes immediately followed the cover up with a leglock attempting to get Owens to tap out, but Owens was never in serious danger.

This whole sequence was a masterclass from Rhodes, who constantly kept up his attack. Owens showed remarkable resiliency though, forcing Rhodes into a a slugfest, where Owens definitely holds the advantage.

The match would bounce back and forth between both competitors for a long while afterwards. Rhodes would land more hits, and had several opportunities to win the match, including a cody cutter from the ropes, but Owens never wavered. Rhodes constantly landed blows, but the few blows Owens landed did some serious damage. The most obvious example was a neckbreaker that took Rhodes out of commission for nearly a minute.

The back and forth continued. Rhodes lands a crossrhodes, Owens lands a slam from the corner, the pair trade super kicks. Every move from one of the fighters was met with equal retaliation. The moment this stopped was when Rhodes’ injured knee buckled while attempting to jump off the corner. Owens refused to go after Rhodes while he was injured, he had several opportunities to attack Rhodes, but passed up on many of those chances in order to win ‘legitimately.’

Owens would eventually land a stunner after Rhodes convinced Owens he was good to go, but Rhodes would kick out. He followed that kick out up with two consecutive crossrhodes. Rhodes attempted to land a third, but Owens broke out and landed yet another stunner, but that would only prolong the inevitable. Owens showed mercy, and it came back to bite him. Cody Rhodes won the match after countering a swanton by putting his knees up. That was the turning point Rhodes needed to secure the victory.

When is Bash in Berlin 2024? Start time

Bash in Berlin is Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. ET. It will begin locally at 7 p.m.

Where is Bash in Berlin 2024?

Bash in Berlin is taking place at Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.

How to watch Bash in Berlin 2024: TV channel, streaming

The event can be streamed on Peacock, but you must have their premium or premium-plus subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on WWE Network.

Watch WWE action with a Peacock subscription

How to watch Bash in Berlin preshow:

WWE fans in the United States can catch the Bash in Berlin preshow on Peacock or on YouTube. The preshow is being streamed live on both sites.

What happened during the Bash in Berlin Kickoff show?

The kickoff show streamed on YouTube yesterday, August 30, preparing fans across the world for both Friday Night Smackdown and Bash in Berlin. Michael Cole kicked off the show to outstanding applause, before introducing The Miz as his first guest. However, the two of them didn’t interact much before The Miz gave way to CM Punk.

Punk was met with uproaring applause and cheers. Cole and Punk talked about Punk’s rivalry with Drew McIntyre, and his success in strap matches throughout his career. Punk played to the crowd of course, even listing them as his biggest advantage in his match against McIntyre tonight.

The cheers quickly turned to boos when Cole’s next guest appeared on stage, Drew McIntyre. McIntyre turned the tides on the crowd though, reminding them that through thick and thin, he has remained with WWE while Punk left and attempted to make it big through other avenues. The crowd wasn’t having it though, calling McIntyre an ‘a**hole.’ Michael Cole commented, ‘That’s English, Drew.’ No interpreter needed.

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio were the next to take the stage. The Bonnie and Clyde of WWE have never shied from angry crowds, and boy, was the Berlin crowd upset with them. They were much more excited to see Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley, the Terror Twins, reminding everyone that Dom made an awful choice choosing Morgan over Ripley.

Of course, the show couldn’t finish without the man that the entirety of Germany is rooting for: the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther. The man who has held at least one title for nearly three-quarters of his career with WWE will certainly be the most popular pick to win tonight. A loss to Randy Orton would certainly make for some upset German fans.

Bash in Berlin 2024 match card

Matches not in order

Undisputed WWE Championship match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship match: Gunther (c) vs. Randy Orton
Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (c) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
Mixed tag team match: The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan) vs. The Terror Twins (Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley)
Strap match: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

Bash in Berlin 2024 predictions

Undisputed WWE Championship match: Cody Rhodes (c) def. Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship match: Gunther (c) def. Randy Orton
Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill def. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
Mixed tag team match: The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan) def. The Terror Twins (Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley)
Strap match: CM Punk def. Drew McIntyre

What is a strap match?

CM Punk and Drew McIntyre will take their rivalry to another level with a strap match. A strap match is when both competitors are tied together to the opposite ends of a leather strap, meaning they’ll be in close proximity for the entire contest.

The strap can be used as a weapon, but the unique twist is a pinfall, submission or count-out will not result in victory. Instead, only a competitor can win by touching the top of all four turnbuckles in succession without interruption, meaning they’ll need to drag the opponent as they do so.

How has Punk performed in his past strap matches?

Punk has been featured in two strap matches on WWE before, and is undefeated in this style of brawl.

The first came in 2006 against Brent Albright with the OVW Heavyweight Championship on the line. The second came against Umaga during Extreme Rules 2009. Punk won both of these matches, and both were considered incredible efforts from Punk, who nearly lost to Umaga after having touched three of the corners.

WWE international PPVs

WWE has been taking its premium live events all throughout the world this year with Bash in Berlin marking the sixth premium live event to take place outside of the United States. The international shows this year have been:

WWE SmackDown New Year’s Revolution – January 5 in Vancouver, Canada
Elimination Chamber – February 24 in Perth, Australia
WWE Backlash – May 4 in Lyon-Decines, France
King and Queen of the Ring – May 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Clash at the Castle – June 15 in Glasgow, Scotland
WWE Money in the Bank – July 6 in Toronto, Canada
WWE NXT Heatwave – July 7 in Toronto, Canada
Bash in Berlin – August 31 in Berlin, Germany
Crown Jewel – November 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Survivor Series: WarGames – November 30 in Vancouver, Canada

Current WWE champions

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Champion: Gunther
WWE Women’s Champion: Nia Jax
Women’s World Champion: Liv Morgan
Intercontinental Champion: Bron Breakker
United States Champion: LA Knight
Women’s Tag Team Champions: The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn)
WWE Tag Team Champions: The Bloodline (Tonga Loa & Tama Tonga)
World Tag Team Champions: The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & JD McDonagh)
WWE Speed Championship: Andrade

What did Kevin Owens do to earn a title match?

Nothing. In fact, that is the core storyline for this event. Although Owens has been a massive help to Cody Rhodes, helping him maintain his Universal Championship since he beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, Owens has not won many individual matches since, and Owens knows it.

Prior to the start of the show today, WWE aired a short interview with both Owens and Rhodes where Owens said he wished he could’ve earned this title shot in a more honest way. Whether that was a tournament, or a match against any of the men who Rhodes had already defended his title against, it wouldn’t have mattered. Owens says he is grateful for the chance and would love the title, but he doesn’t love how he has performed as of late.

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Many of Clay Matthews’ former teammates were in attendance for his induction into the Green Bay Packers’ Hall of Fame on Thursday.

Randall Cobb. Jordy Nelson. David Bakhtiari. Mason Crosby. AJ Hawk. Nick Perry. Mark Tauscher. And several more.

Aaron Rodgers, who was Matthews’ teammate during the linebacker’s 10 years in Green Bay, wasn’t one of them.

The former Packers quarterback, of course, is in New York now and about to begin his second season with the Jets.

But Matthews, who is the Packers’ all-time sacks leader, provided some humor on why Rodgers wasn’t in Green Bay to celebrate his big night.

All things Packers: Latest Green Bay Packers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

‘Unfortunately, Aaron couldn’t be here today, rightfully so,’ Matthews joked in his speech. ‘But he did text me earlier that he was gonna lock himself in a dark closet, sip on some ayahuasca, and join us in spirit. So thank you, Aaron, wherever you are.’

Matthews’ comment got a laugh from the crowd and is in reference to Rodgers’ off-the-field activities that have received a lot of attention in recent years.

Rodgers took part in a darkness retreat in early 2023 when he was still deciding whether he wanted to continue his NFL career. And Rodgers has frequently discussed his use of the hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca, a plant-based drug he takes out of the country.

Rodgers and Matthews were very close during their time in Green Bay and even participated in commercials together.

Matthews was joined by defensive end Aaron Kampman as part of the 2024 Packers Hall of Fame class.

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No. 8 Penn State is two quarters away from picking up a statement win on the road to open up the college football season.

But before the Nittany Lions can reach that feat, it looks like they will have to take down Mother Nature first.

The Nittany Lions season opener vs. West Virginia will be entering an extended halftime, as dark skies and lightning are being detected within the area in Morgantown, West Virginia to send this old rivalry game into a lightning delay. Per the NCAA’s lightning delay policy, game competition is suspended for 30 minutes for every lightning strike within an eight-mile radius.

At time of writing, Penn State leads West Virginia in Morgantown 20-6 at halftime after Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar connected with wide receiver Harrison Wallace III for an 18-yard touchdown reception just before halftime. It was the second time this afternoon that Allar connected with Wallace III for a score.

Penn State vs West Virginia weather updates

All times Eastern.

4:23 p.m.: After 2 hours and 19 minutes, the second half is underway in Morgantown between Penn State and West Virginia. Nittany Lions get the ball first.

4:19 p.m.: Per Penn State’s football communications account on X, the game will resume on Fox at 4:23 p.m. ET:

4:13 p.m.: Players have begun to head back onto the field in Morgantown. The second half is just around the corner.

4:03 p.m.: Per West Virginia, the game is set to resume tentatively at 4:23 p.m. ET. Gates set to open up at 4:08 p.m. ET.

3:50 p.m.: West Virginia announced on X that the 30-minute clock has been restarted after another lightning strike was detected within the area. Penn State and West Virginia have been delayed for close to two hours due to inclement weather in Morgantown.

3:09 p.m.: An update from The Athletic’s Penn State beat reporter Audrey Snyder:

3 p.m.: No official word yet from either the Penn State or West Virginia programs or the NCAA on when the second half will start. The storm is still making its way through Morgantown per weather radars. Here’s a look from Fox’s broadcast on how quickly the storm came into Morgantown near the end of the first half:

2:45 p.m.: Conditions don’t look to be getting better in Morgantown as the rain continues to come down. Per an updated look at The Weather Channel’s radar, the heart of the storm looks to be approaching the stadium.

Here’s another look from field level:

2:36 p.m.: Fox’s in-studio halftime show from Los Angeles just showed an updated look at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown and rain looks to be still coming down and the skies are still dark.

2:28 p.m.: A closer look at the radar from WGAL Meteorologist Ethan Huston. WGAL is an NBC affiliate in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

2:14 p.m.: Official word from West Virginia on X (formerly Twitter) on the lightning delay, suspending play:

2:13 p.m.: Fox’s Gus Johnson announced on the network’s broadcast that the game is in a lightning delay. Skies are rather dark in Morgantown.

2 p.m.: Here’s a look at the weather system that is moving in on Morgantown right now.

Penn State-West Virginia weather forecast

Here’s an hour-by-hour forecast for the remainder of Saturday’s game (as of 2:30 p.m. ET):

All times Eastern.

2 p.m.: Thunderstorms (75% chance of precipitation)
3 p.m.: Heavy thunderstorms (88% chance of precipitation)
4 p.m.: Thunderstorms (68% chance of precipitation)
5 p.m.: Thunderstorms (76% chance of precipitation)
6 p.m.: Heavy thunderstorms (94% chance of precipitation)
7 p.m.: Thunderstorms (100% chance of precipitation)
8 p.m.: Scattered thunderstorms (52% chance of precipitation)

Mercedes has signed 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton next year, the Formula One team racing team said on Saturday.

The Italian teen, who has won one sprint and one feature race for Prema Racing in Formula Two this year, will join George Russell at Mercedes, with Hamilton switching to Ferrari.

Antonelli said the move up was a dream come true and thanked the Mercedes team for supporting him and having faith in him.

‘Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy … I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity,’ he said in a statement.

‘I’m also really excited to become George’s teammate. He came through the team’s junior program just like myself and is someone I have a huge amount of respect for … I am looking forward to learning from him and working together to deliver on track.’

Russell said he was excited to partner with Antonelli.

‘I know how much of a support Lewis was for me throughout my time as a junior driver and since I’ve been his team-mate. I’ve learned so much from him and I hope to play a similar role for Kimi,’ he said.

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said Russell and Antonelli were the perfect line-up for the team to begin its next chapter.

‘Kimi has consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport,’ he said.

‘We know it will be another big step up, but he has impressed us in his F1 testing this year … in George, he has an experienced team-mate from (whom) he can learn and hone his craft’.

Russell is eighth in the standings ahead of the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, while Hamilton is sixth.

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Youth sports has an attrition problem.

‘We do a tremendous job at getting kids involved,’ exercise scientist Amanda Visek says. ‘We do a terrible job at keeping them.’

The absence of ‘fun’ is often cited in connection with the staggering statistic that 7 out of 10 kids quit sports before age 13.

But what is fun, exactly, as it pertains to kids sports?

About 10 years ago, Visek, an associate professor at George Washington University, and her associates set out on an extensive study to distill the precise meaning of the short yet significant word.

They learned that misunderstanding can lead to misperception. Fun is not ‘goofing off or laughing or playing around,’ Visek tells USA TODAY Sports, ‘or only to be had if you work really hard during practice and the coach says, ‘I’ll let you have fun in the last 10 minutes.’ ‘

Visek’s ‘Fun Maps’ uncovered the opposite: Fun is not something that shows up on our face as much as something that creates our sports experience.

The groundbreaking study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, worked with male and female youth soccer players of varying ages and skill levels in the Washington, D.C., area.

Fun, the researchers learned, has dozens of determinants that are actionable, such as putting forward a strong effort, getting better at a sport and working together as a team. Fun drives confidence, the study shows, and it is at the heart of athletic development.

 ‘It seems to be relevant at every age and stage, even Olympic athletes,’ Visek says.

And with one particular world class tennis player, whose father forced him to play a sport he never truly learned to enjoy. Andre Agassi’s narrative underscores the crucial role fun plays in sports both from a young age and throughout a career.

‘The idea that a parent would attach a child’s right to be loved in this world based on their performance is a tragedy,’ Agassi told USA TODAY Sports. ‘What somebody needs to do to be pro at 16 years old is crazy, right? I mean, think about how you have to spend those years in order to do it. So the question now becomes, is that self-motivated, or is fear the driver? Is somehow somebody else’s agenda the driver?

‘And once you put an agenda ahead of that child, once something, anything besides that child, is most important, let’s just call it like it is. That’s abuse.’

We spoke with Visek, and with Agassi, about what constitutes fun and ways we can empower our kids to truly have fun with their sports.

Fun is not a frivolous reward for being good. It is a state athletes feel that helps them get most out of their ability.

As youth coaches, we tend to let our kids scrimmage five-on-five, or run around the bases in a relay race, after they have ‘worked hard.’ We consider such activities the ‘fun’ part of practice.

Fun, though, Visek has found, comes in the work itself. It’s a feeling the players derive from competing with and for their teammates and coach in effortful, deliberate practices and games.

The athletes she’s surveyed over the years indicate the fun is more in that process than the outcome. When The Washington Post wrote an article about Visek’s initial study, the reporter asked one high-school soccer player to recount the most fun he had in one particular season. The player, Devon Mann, brought up an experience that ultimately ended in a loss.

‘He talked how incredibly challenging and hard that game was, and how they really fought for it,’ Visek says.

Fun centers around 3 main factors that promote growth and development as athletes, but not necessarily winning

In that study, Visek asked each of the 142 soccer players aged 8 to 19 to brainstorm about all the things that made sports fun for them. They came up with 81 fun determinants, which the researchers listed on cards they gave to the players to sort and rate. Based on those rankings, the determinants were grouped into 11 dimensions of fun (fun factors) and graphically presented on a map.

The top three fun factors, which have held as Visek has continued her work, are trying hard, positive team dynamics and positive coaching. You can see the rest here:

Notice that winning is not a fun factor. In Visek’s studies, which have expanded to one in Sweden where kids had 84 fun determinants, winning tends to rank in the middle, well behind being challenged to improve, getting a compliment from a coach, playing well and using a skill you learned in practice in a game.

‘If you can create the experience for athletes of having fun, then you can achieve these other types of outcomes that sports programs or coaches are looking for, whether it’s motivation or it’s performance outcomes, or it’s retention in sport,’ Visek says. ‘But in order to achieve those things, we have to focus on that moment to-moment-experience: the experience of having fun playing sport.’

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Fun has remarkably similar meaning to all athletes

We say our kids play in a recreational league ‘for fun.’ But when they play for a travel or club team, we say they are more intent on learning and developing to ‘get to the next level.’

Similarly, as Visek co-wrote in a chapter for the 2021 book ‘Myths of Sport Coaching,’ you might see stereotypical images if you Google ‘girls’ or ‘women’ or ‘female’ with ‘sport’ and ‘fun.’

Females, she wrote, are ‘huddled together, giggling, hugging one another, sitting arm-in-arm on the bench smiling, or celebrating together jumping up and down in unison.’ Males are ‘seen racing to the ball, battling for the puck, colliding, kicking hard, and challenging their opponents.’

Visek’s studies, as they have been conducted across a number of sports, continue to indicate we are more similar than we are different, whether we are male or female, younger or older, or play rec or travel.

All types of kid athletes crave from an early age what Visek calls the physical, kinesthetic component of sports: the high-fives, the fist bumps and other connections of touch we have with teammates.

And we crave all of this into much later stages of our athletic careers and up to the highest levels because it is fun. A study of Olympians who competed from 2000 to 2012 indicates fun was a consistent factor in what got them involved in sport early in their development, as well as what drove them to pursue the pinnacle of their sport.

Fun is not forced upon kids through sports. It comes from their personal connection to them.

No one even asked Agassi if he wanted to play tennis. ‘I hate tennis,’ he writes repeatedly in his autobiography, ‘Open.’

His career had nothing to do with fun. It was about his father, an autocratic tennis dad, forcing a sport upon him and cashing in on his investment.

‘We can discuss the different layers of abuse but it’s still not healthy for the development of a child,’ Agassi says. ‘And sports can teach so much. Sports can be so good for a child’s development, but only if it’s in a healthy dynamic of them pushing themselves for their own cause and reason. Because we’re so young coming into the sport, it’s just hard for me to believe that most of the time it isn’t coming out of a fear-based sort of upbringing or practice.’

Coach Steve: How to talk to your kid after a bad game. Hint: Don’t be like Andre Agassi’s dad.

When he and wife Steffi Graf, a tennis legend herself, started their own family, they were careful not to push their son and daughter into the hard-driving tennis culture.

‘The important word is choice, right?’ Agassi says. ‘So it’s their life, their choice, but our sort of, let’s say, methodology as parents is you better live what you claim is important to you. That’s what I’m gonna hold you accountable to. I’m not gonna hold you accountable to your worth based on any performance, but I’m going to make sure that you hold yourself accountable to the things you claim you value.’

Their son Jaden, 22, was a pitcher at USC and is pursuing a career as a professional.

‘He loves it, and he wants to do it,’ Agassi says. ‘And he lives that every day. So I love it. Our daughter (Jaz, 20) and her choices, same thing. She’s really connected to her life. And that’s the greatest thing a parent could ever want or feel for their kids. You’re only as happy as your saddest child. And when you see your child engaged in life, and you see them connected to it, it’s a powerful feeling, and it’s one that I cherish greatly.’

As Visek writes, having fun in sports is not happenstance or coincidental. Instead, it must be fostered, with intent, to evoke a fun experience.

Fun is an athlete-centered experience but we can help them shape and create it

The original Fun Maps identified how children thrive on autonomy, not regulation, when it comes to sports. Experiences they found to be ‘not fun’ were controlling, while nearly 84% of the 81 fun determinants within the Fun Maps are based on fostering children’s autonomy, competence and social connections to the sport.

These three qualities can be instilled in our young athletes from positive coaches who treat players with respect, consider their opinions and allow mistakes.

Our parenting can work the same way. We can ask them, Visek says, what they want and what is fun for them.

‘The Fun Maps would suggest that having parents and family there to cheer you on is fun,’ she says, ‘but a sort of subtle nuance would be like asking your kid, ‘How do you want me to show up at your game? Do you want me to be quiet because that’s easier for you to concentrate on the field? Or do you want me to call your name and cheer you on?’ And then deliver on what they tell you.’

Ask them afterward, she suggests, if they had fun, but also what wasn’t fun about the game.

‘If it wasn’t, that is important information,’ she says. ‘As a parent, then I can think, ‘Is that something that I don’t know is a natural part of sport or the game, or is that something that requires me to intervene?’ But I think we just have to do a better job of communicating with the athletes and checking in with them. When asked to articulate, that requires more effortful thinking, and in the process of doing that, they learn something, either about themselves or about the experience that wasn’t so obvious.’

I learn something critical about the day’s practice when one of my sons gets in the car and immediately starts giving me an animated and detailed review before I even ask about it. When the discussion starts with him, it reveals more than what the coaches said or how he and his teammates played.

Most of the time, it means he had fun.

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

STILLWATER, Okla. — The NCAA has blocked Oklahoma State football from adding a sticker to its football helmets with a QR code that would link fans to the team’s general name, image and likeness fund that benefits every player on the roster.

Oklahoma State interprets the QR code stickers as institutional decals permitted under NCAA bylaws, but the NCAA says the QR code is advertising and/or commercial logos.

Other uses of the QR code that do not involve the OSU uniform are still usable. It remained on players’ bag tags for the pregame walk, and will be visible on signage in the stadium.

‘We disagree with the interpretation of the rule but will abide by it and work with the appropriate groups to lead on the needed change,’ OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg said in a press release provided to media just before Saturday’s game against South Dakota State. 

‘Our people came up with an innovative concept to raise the NIL value of our student-athletes, but ultimately, it just serves as the latest example of how college sports are evolving at a faster pace than the rule book.’

Oklahoma State announced the plans to add the QR codes to the players’ helmets just more than a week ago, hoping to use them as easy access for fans to contribute to the team’s NIL fund.

Oklahoma State says it has well-established procedures for determining rules compliance and followed those procedures in its determination to allow the helmet decals. OSU also consulted with the Big 12 office and felt confident after those conversations that the stickers would be allowed, the release said.

‘As we enter this new age of college athletics, the Big 12 Conference welcomes the opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and creativity,’ Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said in the release. ‘I look forward to partnering with the NCAA and my fellow conference commissioners in an effort to modernize legislation that enables our schools to drive value for our student-athletes.’

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After a long offseason with no meaningful games to speak of — sans Week 0 and some early Week 1 competition — college football is well and truly back for the 2024 season.

That leads up to an impressive Week 1 schedule on Saturday, headlined by a couple of top-25 matchups between No. 1 Georgia and No. 14 Clemson, as well as this week’s ‘College GameDay’ headliner between No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 7 Notre Dame.

Watch selecte college football games live with Fubo (free trial)

Other notable games on the schedule include teams breaking in new coaches. There’s Sherrone Moore-led Michigan, the No. 8 team in the country, taking on Fresno State in the first game after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, which occurred after the Wolverines’ controversial College Football Playoff championship last season.

Then there’s Kalen DeBoer, who will lead No. 5 Alabama in its first game without Nick Saban on the sidelines (something that hasn’t occurred since the 2006 college football season). And those are only a few of the matchups and storylines in play for Saturday’s Week 1 games.

Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday, including schedules, scores and more:

College football schedule today

Saturday, Aug. 31

Games listed in chronological order. All times Eastern.

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 14 Clemson | Noon | ABC (Fubo) | ESPN+
No. 9 Penn State at West Virginia | Noon | Fox (Fubo)
No. 25 Iowa vs. Illinois State | Noon | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
No. 15 Tennessee vs. Chattanooga | 12:45 p.m. | SEC Network (Fubo)
No. 18 Oklahoma State vs. South Dakota State | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
No. 2 Ohio State vs. Akron | 3:30 p.m. | CBS (Fubo)
No. 4 Texas vs. Colorado State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
No. 19 Miami at Florida | 3:30 p.m. | ABC (Fubo) | ESPN+
No. 5 Alabama vs. Western Kentucky | 7 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. Furman | 7 p.m. | SEC Network+/ESPN+
No. 17 Kansas State vs. UT-Martin | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
No. 3 Oregon vs. Idaho | 7:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M | 7:30 p.m. | ABC (Fubo) | ESPN+
No. 8 Michigan vs. Fresno State | 7:30 p.m. | NBC | Peacock
No. 21 Arizona vs. New Mexico | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

College football scores today

Saturday, Aug. 31

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 14 Clemson
No. 9 Penn State at West Virginia
No. 25 Iowa vs. Illinois State
No. 15 Tennessee vs. Chattanooga
No. 18 Oklahoma State vs. South Dakota State
No. 2 Ohio State vs. Akron
No. 4 Texas vs. Colorado State
No. 19 Miami at Florida
No. 5 Alabama vs. Western Kentucky
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. Furman
No. 17 Kansas State vs. UT-Martin
No. 3 Oregon vs. Idaho
No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M
No. 8 Michigan vs. Fresno State
No. 21 Arizona vs. New Mexico

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CHICAGO — The Rookie of the Year race is the last thing on Caitlin Clark’s and Angel Reese’s mind. Winning, they insist, is their only focus.

On both accounts, Clark has the edge. And it’s getting larger with every game.

Clark scored a season-high 31 points and notched her 11th double-double with 12 assists Friday night while Reese had 11 rebounds and 10 points. But the stat that matters is six. As in the spot the Indiana Fever moved up to in the eight-team playoff race with their 100-81 rout, leapfrogging the Phoenix Mercury.

Chicago remains eighth in the standings but, after five losses in a row and problems almost everywhere on the floor, the Sky’s spot is precarious.

“We don’t wake up and think about individual awards. I know that’s what all of you think we do. We don’t,” Clark said before the game. “That’s what everybody wants to make this about, but both of our teams are competing for playoff spots. That’s our main focus.

“Our focus is on winning basketball games. It’s as simple as that,” Clark added. “It’s winning basketball games.”

Like Magic and Bird before them, Clark and Reese are forever linked, first by their rivalry in college — Reese and LSU beat Clark and Iowa for the national title in 2023, Clark’s Hawkeyes knocked Reese and LSU out of the tournament on their way to the championship game this year — and now by their WNBA careers.

Though Reese was drafted seventh, six spots behind Clark, they have emerged as the league’s new standard bearers. They sell out arenas almost everywhere they go and spark blockbuster ratings. Sponsors clamor to work with them.

And both are shredding the record books.

Clark has already set WNBA rookie records for assists and 3-pointers, and she leads the league in assists this season. Reese’s last rebound Friday night gave her 399 for the season, breaking Tina Charles’ rookie record, and her 23rd double-double extended her WNBA rookie record.

But stats are for nerds.

Clark and Reese were lottery picks because the Fever and Sky, respectively, expected them to elevate their teams. To lift them out of the WNBA’s doldrums and into contention, first for the playoffs and eventually for titles.

There’s no question Clark has moved ahead of Reese in that respect. She and the Fever both have recovered from their rough start, largely because Clark has finally had time to develop chemistry with her teammates.

Clark barely had a training camp before she and the Fever were thrown into the meat-grinder portion of their schedule. Anyone who’s ever played basketball, or actually watched it, knows that a point guard, even one as gifted as Clark, can’t just whip the ball around the court. They need to know what their teammates’ tendencies are, everything from who likes the ball where to who can handle a rocket of a pass.

Until that happens, there are going to be miscues. Lots of them.

The Fever began the season 1-8 and Clark had 15 games with six or more turnovers before the Olympic break. She also struggled with her own shot, shooting better than 50% just twice in the first month of the season.

But Clark and the Fever gradually figured it out. Clark has scored in double figures in every game since June 16, and has had a double- or triple-double 10 times. The Olympic break also helped, allowing the Fever to have what was effectively a second training camp.

The difference is obvious. Indiana has won three in a row, and five of its last six. On Friday night, the Fever had assists on 26 of their 32 field goals. They had 11 turnovers, and Chicago got just five points off them.

“Just time, honestly,” Clark said. “You’ve got to be able to feel out your teammates. You want them to understand you and you have to be able to understand them, and I think that took us a little bit of time. I’m going to just get more comfortable the more games I play.”

Chicago’s problems are not Reese’s fault. The Sky are limited offensively — their second-leading scorer is still Marina Mabrey, who was traded before the Olympic break — and they haven’t figured out how to win close games. The Sky have lost six games by four or fewer points, including three in their current five-game skid.

Against the Fever on Friday, the Sky raced out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter — and wound up losing by 19. And Chicago had to outscore the Fever 10-2 in garbage time just to make it that close.

“It’s not being able to execute down the stretch and that’s something we have to fix,” Reese said before the game. “We don’t want to continue to lose. It’s not a good feeling for any of us.”

Clark and Reese are both going to have long, successful careers. But they will always be each other’s measure and, for this season at least, Clark is the clear winner.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

One of the newest premium live events in WWE will take place Saturday with Bash in Berlin, marking another pay-per-view across the pond for the company, but the first ever in Germany.

It’s not a heavy card with only five matches scheduled to take place, but three of them will be for titles, including the Undisputed WWE Championship match between friends Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens, as well as the World Heavyweight Championship bout between Gunther and the icon Randy Orton. The women’s tag titles are on the line as well, and two of the top feuds in wrestling will have another battle. European crowds have given WWE an electric atmosphere this year, and expect the same this time around.

Follow USA TODAY Sports for all the results and highlights from the action in Berlin:

When is Bash in Berlin 2024? Start time

Bash in Berlin is Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. ET. It will begin locally at 7 p.m.

Where is Bash in Berlin 2024?

Bash in Berlin is taking place at Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.

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