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Can Georgia finish No. 1? See what history says

For the second consecutive year, Georgia will start the college football season as the preseason No. 1 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. 

That follows two consecutive years when the coaches panel put Alabama at the top preseason ranking only to watch the Bulldogs – its SEC rival – finish No. 1 in the season’s final poll and claim back-to-back national championships.

This season marks the third time Georgia has been ranked preseason No. 1 in the 34-year history of USA TODAY Sports administering the coaches poll. Will this year be the charm when then can start and finish in the same spot?

History isn’t on their side. More on that shortly.

Georgia football’s paths to No. 1 and disappointment

Georgia topped the 2008 preseason poll but their stay there was short-lived. The Bulldogs were quickly leap-frogged by Southern California (No. 23 in this year’s poll). The change came after the season opener when Georgia defeated Georgia Southern by 24 points, but USC blasted Virginia 52-7 on their home turf. Georgia would suffer three losses and ended the season ranked 10th.

Winning a championship, of course, doesn’t rest on what a panel of 55 head coaches at Football Bowl Subdivision schools say in August, but the outcomes of these past 33 years offer some intriguing insights.

How many college football preseason No. 1s have finished No. 1

The two other Georgia or Alabama teams aren’t alone in falling short of our coaches’ preseason predictions. A preseason No. 1 team hasn’t finished No. 1 since Alabama did in the 2017 season.

Since USA TODAY began its relationship with the poll in the 1991 season, the coaches’ preseason No. 1s have become postseason No. 1s just four times – just over 12% of the time. Only twice have teams held the No. 1 position throughout: Florida State in 1999 and Southern California in 2004.

SEC conference football teams lead with most weekly No. 1 rankings

In the 527 coaches’ polls taken since 1991, a Southeastern Conference or Atlantic Coast Conference team ranked No. 1 in nearly two-thirds of the votes.

Until Georgia’s run in the 2021 season, only 10 schools had double-digit weeks in first place: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Southern California. 

For more than 7½ years (since Nov. 15, 2015), Clemson or an SEC team topped the the US LBM Coaches Poll. The conference’s growing dominance in football continues in 2024. Nine of the Top 25 teams in the preseason coaches poll are from the SEC – up from six last year – helped by the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the league.

Much of the SEC’s dominance at the top of the poll can be linked to Alabama. The Crimson Tide held a weekly No.1 ranking in nearly every season since their 2008 campaign. Since Nov. 2, 2008, they’ve been first in nearly half of the polls.

Still, it’s been the years where Alabama – this year’s No. 5 team – started at No. 2 or lower where they have brought home the national championship trophy. In the past 33 years, preseason No. 2 teams have been twice as likely to finish No. 1.

Where post-season No. 1 college football teams started

Since the start of the College Football Playoff in 2014, no team ranked seventh or lower in the preseason has won the national championship.

So which teams are likely in the mix this year? Here’s the coaches’ poll top 10.

Who is in the US LBM Coaches Poll top 25

The initial Top 25 for this year is dominated by teams from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, but there is also strong representation from the Big 12.

With all of the uncertainty and change entering this season, it’s worth analyzing the schools that find themselves starting in the rankings. Click here to see the season outlooks for all of the teams that begin their campaigns in the preseason poll.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Pitbull buys naming rights for FIU football stadium in 5-year deal

Pitbull’s collaborations in the music world helped turn him into a Grammy Award-winning international superstar and entrepreneur, but his latest partnership represents a groundbreaking foray into college sports.

Florida International announced Tuesday during a news conference that it is renaming its football stadium “Pitbull Stadium” for the next five seasons in what’s believed to be an unprecedented sponsorship arrangement between a university and a celebrity.

The five-year deal is worth $6 million — Pitbull will pay the school $1.2 million annually and has an option to extend the contract an additional five years — according to ESPN. It includes Pitbull’s purchase of the naming rights to the stadium, the sale of Pitbull’s Voli 305 Vodka at FIU games, use of the venue for 10 days each year, an FIU anthem created by Pitbull, the title of “official entrepreneur of FIU athletics” and other promotional and fundraising perks.

The facility, formerly known as FIU Stadium, has a seating capacity of 20,000 and opened in 1995. FIU athletic director Scott Carr said it’s the first time an athletics venue will be named after a musician. The arrangement was formally approved by the FIU Board of Trustees on Tuesday. 

“What we’re doing here is groundbreaking. We’re making history. This is history in the making,” said Pitbull, whose real name is Armando Perez. “You’re going to see every other university wants to do the same thing. But the difference is we don’t do this for propaganda. We do it from the heart. We do it because it’s meaningful. We do it because I’m from the crib. I’m 305. This is my backyard.”

The singer and rapper — known as “Mr. 305” because of his Miami upbringing — acknowledged that he didn’t attend FIU, nor did he graduate from high school, but that he has ties to the school through “people that I love dearly.” He also emphasized that investing in education has become one of his passions.

“I want to say thank you to FIU for believing in me and believing in this movement,” Pitbull said. 

FIU football will host its first game at Pitbull Stadium on Sept. 7 against Central Michigan.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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How sustainable diaper brand Kudos is taking on industry giants — with a Target rollout

Throughout modern history, parents have only had one real option when it comes to disposable diapers: plastic.

The single-use products are typically made with fossil fuels like petroleum and can take hundreds of years to break down, making them the third-largest consumer item in U.S. landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Plus, they’re not as breathable as other materials, which could make incidents like diaper rashes more common. 

Hatchmark Studio via Kudos

Still, plastic diapers from mega brands like Procter & Gamble-owned Pampers and Kimberly-Clark-owned Huggies continue to dominate the market. Amrita Saigal, founder and CEO of Kudos, is looking to change that. 

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, mechanical engineer and “Shark Tank” alum developed a sustainable diaper that uses some plastic, but is 100% lined with cotton and incorporates other degradable materials like sugarcane and trees, she tells CNBC. 

Later this month, it’ll be the first diaper of its kind to land in retail stores when it launches in approximately 375 Target locations nationwide. 

″I am so excited to partner with Target to make history as the first 100% cotton-lined disposable diaper to hit retail shelves,” Saigal said in an interview with CNBC. “It’s just a really big deal for us, especially because Target does not carry many brands.”

In the three years since its launch, Kudos has raised more than $6 million in funding. It closed a $3 million round last month with investments from Precursor Ventures, Xfund and Oversubscribed Ventures. 

In the last 12 months, it’s sold more than 20 million diapers and grown sales by more than 100%.

Saigal says she’s long been fascinated by consumer packaged goods and has spent her career figuring out ways to redesign everyday products, like sanitary pads and diapers, in her bid to disrupt an industry long dominated by corporate superpowers.

Her goal? Reduce the globe’s reliance on fossil fuels by building out new supply chains and developing sustainable products that are just as effective — if not better — than competitors. 

“I’m not launching a product that is not at par or better than Pampers,” said Saigal. 

“Are there eco-friendly alternatives? Yes, but they don’t perform and when it comes to a diaper, we cannot have something that doesn’t perform. You have one blowout, one leak, your parents are already sleep-deprived. They need things that work. They’re not willing to compromise performance for eco-friendly.” 

Kudos diapers founder Amrita Saigal with her daughter, Avni.Karthish Manthiram via Kudos

After three years of research and development, Saigal developed a diaper that can absorb far more fluid than competitors like Pampers Pure Protection, Huggies Special Delivery and Honest diapers, according to independent testing conducted by Diaper Testing International. 

Pampers didn’t return a request for comment. In a statement, an Honest spokesperson said: “We conduct a wide variety of tests to ensure our products meet our rigorous safety and performance standards. Our philosophy on diaper performance is that in-use testing, which also evaluates comfort, fit and leak protection, is the most accurate indicator of how effective a diaper is at keeping baby comfortable and dry.”

A spokesperson for Kimberly-Clark, which owns Huggies, told CNBC it could not comment because it had not seen the study conducted by Diaper Testing International.

Saigal also developed a proprietary “DoubleDry” technology that brings two layers to the diaper instead of one, which allows it to wick away moisture. 

“If you were just to take out the plastic and replace it with cotton, your diaper would fail miserably, because what would happen is your baby would pee and all the urine would just pool, and then your baby’s butt would be wet,” said Saigal. “How do you quickly wick away that urine and poop and then pull it through the layers of the diaper and then evenly disperse it so your baby’s bottom feels dry. So that’s really what our innovation is.” 

Kudos is far smaller than its mightier competitors, but Saigal said its size has made the business uniquely positioned to build out new cotton supply chains and help suppliers grow alongside the company.

“For a company like P&G to do this, you’re talking … hundreds of millions of dollars in order to reconfigure their equipment to be able to do it … it’s really hard with their existing supply chains to be able to allow natural materials to actually work in their current process,” said Saigal, who worked for P&G as a design and manufacturing engineer after graduating from MIT.

Even sourcing natural materials for use instead of plastics would be challenging for larger companies because of their scale, Saigal said. Suppliers like cotton farmers tend to have buyers and partners locked in before they grow the requested materials, and since there isn’t yet mass demand for cotton from diaper makers, those supply chains don’t really exist yet at scale, she said.

As more and more smaller brands work with natural material suppliers to develop new supply chains, Saigal hopes that big brands will adopt natural materials over plastic more widely, which could reduce the price of those materials and in turn, make plastics more expensive. 

“When do you really get mass adoption of natural materials? The reality is, when natural materials become cheaper than plastic,” she said. 

Kudos faces a daunting landscape of scale.

Buzzy brands that start out by selling directly to consumers and then make their way into retail can face difficulties because of the high cost of inventory and onerous payment terms that come with it. 

Hello Bello, a hypoallergenic, sustainable diaper brand founded by celebrity couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, filed for bankruptcy in October as it struggled to develop its supply chain after it began selling in retailers like Walmart. 

Over the last few years, a number of other consumer product companies and direct-to-consumer brands have faced similar fates after coming up in a funding environment that prioritized growth over profitability.

“In the heyday of DTC, it was like, ‘Don’t worry about the unit economics now, right?’ Like, just top-line growth, top-line growth, top-line growth, and then once you’re at $100 million, $200 million in revenue, then let’s figure out how to make this profitable,” said Saigal, who founded her company in 2021 and secured funding from “Shark Tank” host Mark Cuban and guest Shark Gwyneth Paltrow in 2023. 

“I don’t think that model works anymore,” she continued. “It’s like grow slower, but have the unit economics work from day one. I think the brands that are going to be successful now have to have a very, very tight lock on their numbers and their unit economics from the beginning.” 

In the year ahead, Saigal’s No. 1 priority for her business is to reach profitability and to get there, she’s keeping her team lean and being strategic with the capital she’s using to pay for inventory ahead of her launch into Target. She’s also had to toe a fine line when it comes to pricing. Her products are more expensive to make than her competitors’, but if the price is too high, she risks alienating potential buyers. 

Currently, parents can buy Kudos for between 41 cents and 70 cents per diaper, depending on the size. That compares with a box of Pampers Pure Protection, which runs between 34 cents and 75 cents per diaper, according to a listing on Target.com. 

“We are a little bit more expensive just because our raw materials are more expensive, but I’ve tried to keep it as minimal as possible,” said Saigal. “I care so much about being premium, but accessible. That is like exactly what I want to do, so that we are accessible to as many people, and cleaner materials are not out of reach.”

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to “Shark Tank,” which features Mark Cuban as a panelist.

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Retiring Corvette ‘godfather’ on EVs, spinoff and a performance SUV

DETROIT — Tadge Juechter’s first “taste” of Corvette working at General Motors was to research whether there were enough Americans who could afford a new high-performance model of the famed sports car, known as the ZR1, back in 1985.

Nearly 40 years later, not only are there enough people to afford such a vehicle, but GM’s new 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 stands as something of a coup de grace for Juechter, who retired Wednesday after roughly 47 years with the Detroit automaker.

The so-called “godfather” of the modern Corvette retired roughly a week after helping to introduce the new 2025 Corvette ZR1 — the most powerful and fastest version of the car ever produced.

“One thing all the great Corvettes of recent years and decades have had in common is you. Your knowledge, your skills, your hard work, your passion,” GM President Mark Reuss told Juechter when revealing the vehicle. “Thank you for making Corvette the glorious American sports car it remains. Thank you for making our company better.”

Reuss announced last month that all 2025 Corvettes and beyond will feature a silhouette profile of Juechter’s head etched in window locations and the front tunnel reinforcement panel beneath every Corvette 

CNBC interviewed Juechter, 67, ahead of his retirement, touching on his career as well as the business of Corvette, including plans for an all-electric version and the potential of spinning off the brand and for an SUV.

GM has said an all-electric Corvette is coming, but it hasn’t given a time frame. Last year, the automaker introduced a hybrid version of the car called the E-Ray.

Juechter wasn’t inclined to disclose any details of an upcoming Corvette EV, but he believes the E-Ray proves GM can successfully electrify Corvette.

“Electrification can be a wonderful contributor to cars. I embrace efficiency. … We’re passionate about efficiency in everything that we do,” he said. “Efficiency makes a good sports car, too. So, I think electrification is just another technology, and we have to figure out how to play that technology in a way that resonates with our customers.

“E-Ray is the first step. We think long term, you know, decades long term. Yes, General Motors committed to 100% electrification, and it’s our job as engineers to figure out what’s the way to get there. We’re businesspeople, too. We have to bring our customers with us.”

Juechter said there’s been some “natural push back” to electrified Corvettes from the sports car’s fan base.

“We’re hoping maybe the E-Ray warms them to maybe this electrification thing’s not so bad,” he said.

Wall Street analysts have said GM could better leverage the Corvette brand by expanding models and, to an extent, sales. In late 2019, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said a Corvette sub-brand could be worth between $7 billion and $12 billion.

That has raised questions around whether Corvette would be better spun off from parent GM.

But Juechter doesn’t necessarily believe that’s the way to go.

“I don’t know if we need to spin off. I mean, Corvette’s at the heart of Chevrolet. It’s a pure business play. If you’ve got this brand equity, you can just keep it at home or you can choose to try to monetize it and put it outside.

“General Motors historically hasn’t done that. We embrace our important franchises, and this is a really important franchise,” he said.

Regarding leveraging the brand for future products such as an SUV, which has been under consideration for several years, that’s a little different, Juechter said, declining to confirm that any such plans or considerations exist.

“How you leverage it. That’s a question for the future. You see the models we’re rolling out. We’re making the maximum of this mid-engine architecture. And, you know, I’ve made no secret I work on EVs, too, and trying to bring some of the performance spirit into the EV space. How that gets applied in the future and how it gets branded, that’s a story for another day,” he said.

The concept of a performance car brand producing a SUV or crossover would have been blasphemous years ago, but several brands such as Porsche, Lamborghini and even Ferrari have done so as consumer preference has moved away from the traditional car model.

Juechter has been a part of four separate generations of Corvette — from the fourth-generation ZR1 to the new mid-engine, eighth-generation of the sports car.

The first Corvette he purchased for himself was the sixth-generation 2006 Corvette Z06.

“It’s hard to pick a favorite. It’s like what’s your favorite child. Actually, it’s harder than who’s your favorite child. Anyway, I won’t get into parenting, but every one of these cars we pour our heart and soul into and they all have their specialness about them.

“I don’t know. I can’t pick one. If I’m forced to pick one, I say money talks. I bought that Z06. I put my own money down on that car. … That car was very special to me,” Juechter said.

Juechter said he wasn’t planning on purchasing the Corvette, but he saw a “fully decked out one” coming off the line at the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and said that he had to have it.

He has since sold that car and last year purchased an eighth-generation Corvette Stingray convertible as a “retirement car,” given he won’t be getting any free Corvettes for testing.

“I’ve never been a convertible guy, but it’s my wife and my touring car — like cross-country touring car. I’m not going to track it. It’s going to be my daily driver,” he said. “If you just have a daily driver, a cruiser, a Stingray is pretty sweet.”

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U.S. markets close sharply lower — but some economists say economy looks stable

Stocks saw a dramatic pullback — their third in as many trading days — as a confluence of factors including ongoing fears of an economic slowdown and repositioning on Wall Street sent shares tumbling.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,034 points, or 2.6%. The Nasdaq Composite lost 3.4%, and the S&P 500 slid 3%. The blue-chip Dow and S&P 500 were on track for their biggest daily losses since September 2022.

The rout on Monday was sparked by a massive sell-off in Japanese stocks. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 12.4%, its worst day since the 1987 ‘Black Monday’ crash rattled investors around the world.

Japan and other Asia-Pacific markets appeared to recover on Tuesday, however, with the Nikkei rebounding as much as 10%.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Monday in New York City.Spencer Platt / Getty Images

The Japanese drawdown on Monday was partly in response to the worse-than-expected jobs report published Friday that showed U.S. unemployment rising to 4.3% and just 114,000 jobs added in July.

Yet, while the jobs report caused some market commentators to argue that the Federal Reserve should have cut rates sooner — it held them steady again at 5.5% last week as it sought to further dampen inflation — other analysts pushed back on that idea. That latter group gained support when the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) published data later Monday showing services businesses were still seeing healthy demand.

As soon as that report was published, stocks started erasing some of their earlier losses, while bond purchases, which had surged as investors sought safe-haven assets, faded.

Instead, some observers placed some of the blame for the global stock sell-off on the winding down of the so-called ‘carry trade,’ which had seen investors borrow money at lower interest rates denominated in Japan’s yen currency in order to buy higher-yielding assets elsewhere.

The profitability of that trade rapidly drew to a close in recent days, however, after the Bank of Japan signaled its intention to raise interest rates, while the U.S. Federal Reserve said it would soon likely lower them.

As a result, the value of the yen soared against the dollar, erasing all the gains the greenback had made this entire year.

There were other reasons for the stock retreat. It was led by tech shares, and especially ones concentrated in the bet on artificial intelligence. Nvidia, the leader of the group thanks to its specialized GPU computer chips, and rival Intel both closed down 7%. Microsoft, which has also been at the forefront of large language model (LLM) investments, fell more than 3%. And Google’s parent, Alphabet, another firm seeking to pivot to AI, declined almost 5%.

Only a month ago, shares in those companies had led much of this year’s rally, and the Nasdaq had hit an all-time high. But those were the first to see investors hit the proverbial exits Monday as traders increasingly believe the gains from AI bets will not materialize in the short term.

Apple also tanked 5% on the day. Over the weekend, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed it had sold almost half its Apple holdings.

But analysts say that decision was likely less a vote of no-confidence in the iPhone maker than simply Berkshire and Buffett raising cash in what observers have concluded was an increasingly overbought market.

And therein is perhaps the upshot of the sell-off: It was simply time to take profits from a market that had been on a tear all year.

“This is the confluence of a very high market that has been soaring and riding on a lot of sentiment and emotion. For several months now, the momentum trade has been the successful trade,” said Michael Farr, CEO of Farr, Miller & Washington, a wealth and investment management firm.

“While folks make fundamental arguments that give them comfort, everybody in the back of their minds knows stuff doesn’t go up 30% in six months,” he added. “So, when you’re in a period of huge profits, it’s very easy to take profits. It’s a much easier decision to say I want to take my chips and go home here.”

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USA men’s hoops vs. Brazil updates from Olympic quarterfinal

PARIS — The U.S. men’s basketball team continues its hunt for a fifth straight gold medal with a semifinal game today against Brazil at the 2024 Paris Olympics. And LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and company are finally in Paris for the duration of the tournament. After playing — and dominanting — three group stage games in Lille in Northern France, the Americans are now competing at Bercy Arena, where Simone Biles and gymnastics has been since the start of these Games.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates, results, highlights and more throughout the game. Follow along:

What time is USA vs. Brazil?

Tip-off is 3:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch USA vs. Brazil

USA Network is airing the game on television, while it can be streamed on Peacock or Fubo.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

USA vs. Brazil basketball prediction

Brazil is on the edge of medal contention in men’s basketball, but it hasn’t medaled since winning bronze in 1964. It finished ninth at the 2016 Rio Olympics and fifth at the 2012 London Olympics but did not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

Brazil, 1-2 in the Olympics with losses to France and Germany and a victory against Japan in group play, has a changing national team. No Anderson Varejao, no Nene, no Leandro Barbosa. But Marcelinho Huertas is still going strong at 41 years old. And this team is led by Vitor Benite (14.3 points per game), Bruno Caboclo (13 points, 7.3 rebounds per game), Raul Neto (8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds) and Leo Meindl (9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds per game). In group play, Brazil shot 45.3% on 3-pointers and made 17-of-28 3s against Japan. Brazil will hit the offensive glass and shoot 3s.

However, the talent and depth of the U.S. (3-0) will prevail.

Prediction: USA 101, Brazil 85

USA men’s basketball Paris Olympics schedule

Here are the games the U.S. men have played so far.

July 28:USA 110, Serbia 84
July 31: USA 103, South Sudan 86
Aug. 3: USA 104, Puerto Rico 83

Team USA men’s basketball roster

Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
Derrick White, Boston Celtics
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

When does USA men’s basketball play next at Paris Olympics?

The Americans play today, facing Brazil in the quarterfinals.

Olympics basketball bracket

Here’s the latest men’s basketball Olympic tournament bracket.

The USA TODAY app brings you every Team USA medal — right when it happens. Download for full Olympics coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and much more.

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USA Basketball players juggle motherhood and chasing 8th gold medal

PARIS — In the most important contest involving USA Basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics everyone got … a participation trophy? 

No, you didn’t misread that. Has Team USA gone soft? Not quite.

When USA Basketball held the Paris Toddler Olympics halfway through the 2024 Games and invited all the kids of NBA and WNBA superstars here to participate, everyone knew it would be entertaining. And in order to keep the peace, a decision was made to make sure everyone felt victorious after an obstacle course that included jumping, crawling, rolling over, tagging a foam roller, putting basketballs away, going under a chair and figuring out how to move a Bosu ball.

“Everyone medaled,” said Breanna Stewart, mom of two. “Everyone actually got a gold medal.” 

There’s a decidedly family feel to these Olympics, as nearly a dozen kids roam the USA Basketball hotel in Paris. Eight of the kids belong to moms on the U.S. women’s rosters (both 5-on-5 and 3×3), a stark contrast from the Tokyo Games three years ago when just two moms made the roster and had to leave their children at home because of COVID-19 protocols that limited fans. 

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

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“It’s amazing to share this with her,” said Napheesa Collier, whose 2-year-old daughter Mila is here. “Obviously she doesn’t really understand it right now, but to have those memories for me and then when she gets older, it’s so special.” 

The U.S. women look to continue their Olympic hoops dynasty Wednesday when they take on Nigeria in the quarterfinals at Bercy Arena. The winner advances to Friday’s semifinals, and will meet either Australia or Serbia. The Americans are seeking an unprecedented eighth consecutive gold medal. 

Now that the team has moved to Paris full-time and will be around the kids more, the moms will have even more to juggle. Like players, the families spent the last week going back and forth between Paris and Lille, the city in northern France that hosted pool play. The team would go up the night before and families would do a day trip to watch the games. It’s just an hour train ride between the two — but it can feel longer when a sleep-deprived toddler has a meltdown.

Players brought extended families and nannies to help corral all the kids, but at the end of the day, sometimes they only want mom. 

Diana Taurasi, the elder stateswoman of Team USA’s roster, has two children with wife Penny Taylor: 2-year-old Isla and 6-year-old Leo. The whole family has been watching from the stands, though Taylor, herself a former WNBA All-Star and Australian Olympian, doesn’t actually get to watch much of the action in real time because she’s busy wrangling the kids. She’s more likely, Taurasi said laughing, to watch the game later when Taurasi is reviewing film. 

“It’s been so cool to see Chelsea, Stewie, Phee, all of them become moms,” Taurasi said of her teammates. “It’s amazing what they’re able to do and how they make it the norm more than anything.” 

Stewart’s toddler, 2-year-old Ruby, will celebrate her third birthday in Paris on Aug. 9, the day after A’ja Wilson celebrates her 28th. Stewart joked that everyone from USA basketball will be invited to Ruby’s party, but it’s likely to be Paw Patrol themed and include juice. Wilson said hers is likely to include juice, too, to mix in alcohol.

Paris marks the first time Ruby and Isla, Taurasi and Taylor’s daughter who is just two months younger than Ruby, have met. They’ve become fast friends, so much so that when Ruby woke up the other morning, she had only one question for Stewart and her wife, Marta Xargay: “Where’s Isla?” It was time to play. 

As for who the favorite non-mom on Team USA is, there was no question: All the kids gravitate toward New York guard Sabrina Ionescu, who each mom said she’d hire as a nanny. Ionescu called it an honor to be chosen for that role. 

“To be able to see what all these moms are able to do in terms of be on the court, be fully present there, try to win a gold medal and then we go back to the hotel and they’re full-time moms who don’t get a break, that’s amazing,” Ionescu said. “I can’t really put into words how strong these women are.” 

Multiple players, moms and not, have commented on the chaos of the USA basketball hotel, which has felt like a daycare with so many kids running around (and more expected to arrive now that medal rounds are starting).

Brittney Griner is the newest parent on the roster, with baby boy Bash born last month. Griner said her wife, Cherelle, will travel to Paris but their newborn is staying home. 

U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve, who also coaches the Minnesota Lynx, has seen a major evolution over the last two decades in the way professional athletes who want to be moms are treated, especially in the WNBA. The current CBA includes a bevy of fertility benefits, guarantees a player on maternity leave will receive their full salary and includes a childcare stipend, among other parenthood perks. Players in early iterations of the WNBA might have felt they had to finish their career before having children. The W has prided itself on creating a work environment where players’ families are welcome, and players who want to become parents have support.

Reeve said the league has set an important standard in this regard, and USAB — and the Olympics as a whole — has benefitted. 

“I think it’s been a great development,” said Reeve, whose 9-year-old son Oliver is also on the trip. Oliver is a bit of basketball junkie, having seen each of his mom’s 470 games with the Lynx. She said he enjoys a postgame breakdown with her, especially if it involves discussing the officials. During the Americans’ pool play win over Belgium, his goal was to scream louder than the 27,000-plus people who packed into the arena to root for Belgium.

“When I first got into the league, we didn’t have a lot of (moms),’ Reeve said. ‘The longer we’re around, the more we’re understanding how we can navigate those spaces. We’re evolving as a society … and women are showing us they can be anything and do anything.’

That goes for the youngest at the Games, too. Collier predicted that if there was ice cream at the finish line of the Toddler Olympics, Mila would finish first no matter how challenging the course. 

Sadly, Mila missed the entire competition because it got scheduled during nap time. 

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell 

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Politics

Sandra Lee shares breaking point in split from Andrew Cuomo: ‘Every window and door closed’

Sandra Lee revealed the moment she knew her relationship with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was over.

Lee and Cuomo dated for 14 years but never married. They split in 2019, four years after the celebrity chef was diagnosed with breast cancer.

‘I was in my kitchen, and he said something. And the minute he said it, I knew what he’d just said. And every window and door closed. And that was it,’ Lee explained to US Weekly. 

However, Lee refused to share the details of the comment made in the spring of 2019. 

‘He knows what it is. I know what it is,’ she said.

At the time of their split, Lee and Cuomo had been spending less time together and had ‘separate’ lives.

Lee didn’t share many details about her breakup from Cuomo, choosing instead to keep the information private. 

‘When you live separate lives, you are not creating a life together,’ she told the outlet.

‘I was in my kitchen, and he said something. And the minute he said it, I knew what he’d just said. And every window and door closed. And that was it.’

— Sandra Lee

Lee also accused Cuomo of being absent during her cancer treatment. The ‘Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee’ star was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), in 2015. She underwent a double mastectomy and later a complete hysterectomy.

‘Cancer is aggressive and tricky, and it hides and waits,’ Lee told US Weekly. ‘I had to spend a year dealing with that as aggressively as I could.’

As her birthday passed during treatment, Lee claimed she spent the day alone.

‘I spent the day by myself. I was sitting on my lawn alone,’ Lee recalled. ‘My birthday was a precious day to me, especially that one. I’m not someone who feels sorry for themselves, but that day was a bit much for me.’

The chef did note that she and Cuomo later went out to dinner.

Cuomo claimed he cleared his schedule to celebrate Lee’s birthday that year.

Rich Azzopardi, Cuomo’s spokesperson, slammed Lee’s recollection of events, explaining it doesn’t match up with what happened.

‘I’ll say this, her current version of what happened doesn’t square with what she previously said in the documentary she herself produced and released in 2018 — three years after her medical operation – a story clearly planted by her in Page Six about how she spent her birthday after her surgery (which the governor cleared his schedule to spend the day before and the day of her birthday with her), comments Sandra made in 2016 in which she praised the governor for being there ‘through every step’ of her breast cancer recovery, the comments she made after her relationship with the governor ended, and how she portrayed her relationship with him in 2020 during the height of COVID when Sandra was proud to pronounce to the world that the governor was ‘still her guy’ and that they ‘spoke every day,’’ Azzopardi told Fox News Digital. 

‘We wish her nothing but luck in her future endeavors.’

While dealing with the ‘s—ty’ media storm that followed her public split from Cuomo, Lee found out her uncle had been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

She moved to take care of the uncle she saw as a father figure before his death in 2023, leading to the ‘lowest point’ of her life.

‘I went into the bathroom and just started throwing up,’ Lee revealed. ‘I think that was my body just purging that five years of time. Actually, that had to be the lowest point of my life, leaning over a toilet, vomiting from sadness and grief.’

For Lee, the last ten years have made her ‘wiser and stronger.’

‘I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will never get over the heartbreak of loss of the last 10 years,’ she said. ‘The grief has been endless, but I will use it to fuel and feed me and make me wiser and stronger.

‘I would say that I’ve had the most challenging decade of my life.’

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Stocks

QQQ: Critical Levels to Watch as Nasdaq Teeters on the Edge

Just Another Manic Monday? On Monday, the Nasdaq plunged over 3%. With the S&P 500 dropping a similar amount and the Dow plummeting over 1,000 points (a 2.6% drop), it was the biggest one-day drop since September 2022. Still, Japan’s Nikkei experienced a far more severe decline, plummeting by a staggering 12%; its worst downfall since the infamous Black Monday on Wall Street in 1987.

The main driver? Fears of a potential US recession sparked by the latest disappointing July jobs report. Adding to the worry is that the Federal Reserve may be a little too slow to cut interest rates.

Tech Rebound or Stock Market Mayhem?

The Magnificent Seven’s $714 wipeout Monday played a huge role in sinking the tech-heavy Nasdaq as it makes up over 40% of the Nasdaq 100. Adding to the chaos, a judge ruled against Google’s antitrust practices, and Berkshire Hathaway slashed its stake in Apple. 

As the Nasdaq and the broader market bounce back in early Tuesday trading, investors are eyeing the rally and wondering: is this the start of a comeback or just a brief pause before another slide?

To get a clearer picture of the Nasdaq’s price action, let’s zoom out and look at a weekly chart of the Nasdaq 100 Index ($NDX).

CHART 1. WEEKLY CHART OF THE NASDAQ 100. Despite the severity of Monday’s drop, the longer-term uptrend seems intact.

The range of Monday’s drop (see blue circle on the right) was far greater than most weekly ranges, and this was on a single day. 

But as you can see, the candle appears to have reversed the initial drop, bouncing off the 50-period simple moving average (SMA); the longer-term uptrend is intact.

But what if the Nasdaq were to drop further? Which levels might be prime buying opportunities, and which might scream “stay away”? Let’s switch to a daily chart of Invesco QQQ Trust ETF, a Nasdaq 100 proxy. 

CHART 2. DAILY CHART OF QQQ. Momentum is weak, but indications of potential support for further downside movement are clear.

You can see the QQQ bounced off the 200-day SMA, which aligns closely with the weekly chart’s bounce off the 50-period SMA. The uptrend appears undisturbed by the recent selloff.

Keep an eye on momentum via the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF); it’s still in the “selling pressure” zone. If it doesn’t turn around, the rebound might lack the momentum to sustain itself.

But if market sentiment and fundamental factors cause the QQQ to decline in the coming sessions, the range between $350 and $380 marks critical levels of potential support for the following reasons:

If the fundamental environment leans more bullish than bearish, the 50% to 61.8% Fibonacci retracement range constitutes an optimal entry point for those looking to buy the bounce.This range is a concentrated hotspot for trading activity, as shown by the Volume-by-Price indicator, and aligns with a strong support level near $350, tested four times during summer and fall 2023 (see black rectangle). A drop below $350 can lead to more downside. So, keep $350 in mind as the key level where any bullish outlook might need a rethink.

What Are Analysts Saying?

It’s mixed. 

JPMorgan: Think there’s a 50% chance of a recession. They expect the Fed to cut rates by 50 basis points in September and again in November (if not an earlier emergency cut).Morgan Stanley: Playing it safe, they note the market’s seasonal weakness and doubt a second-half recovery. They see lower equity valuations and a bearish outlook in the short term.Nomura: More upbeat than the rest, they see the “correction” as a buying opportunity as long as the Fed proceeds with rate cuts. Overall, they’re betting on the AI boom to continue fueling tech growth.UBS: They see the current Volatility Index (VIX) action as a signal for a potential buy, but they also warn that there may be more downside risk.

Closing Trade

After Monday’s market mayhem, the Nasdaq is trying to reverse its drop, but analysts’ forecasts are split. While price action suggests a bold upside rebound, momentum indicates weakness in the bounce. Ultimately, the Nasdaq’s direction will hinge on market sentiment and the Fed’s moves. If short-term weakness drags the QQQ lower, keep an eye on the key levels mentioned above.

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional.

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Sports

HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ with Chicago Bears: Full schedule, how to watch debut

The NFL is back — kind of.

The return of the HBO series ‘Hard Knocks’ that takes an in-depth and exclusive look into the training camp of a specific team is making its season debut Tuesday, with the Chicago Bears being the focus. This is not to be confused with the multiple other ‘Hard Knocks’ campaigns HBO and the NFL have launched, including the offseason one focused on the New York Giants or the in-season one that will focus on the AFC North.

The Bears are entering what could be a breakout season, after they went 7-10 last season, missing out on the playoffs.

Here’s everything you need to know about the season debut of HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Chicago Bears:

What time is HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Chicago Bears?

The season debut of HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Chicago Bears is scheduled for Tuesday, August 6. The episode will air at 9 p.m. ET and will re-air at 11:11 p.m. ET.

All things Bears: Latest Chicago Bears news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

How can I watch HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Chicago Bears?

The episode will air live on HBO. The show will also be available for streaming on Max and the Max app.

What is the full schedule of HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Chicago Bears?

Tuesday, August 6: first episode at 9 p.m. ET
Tuesday, August 13: second episode at 9 p.m. ET
Tuesday, August 20: third episode at 9 p.m. ET
Tuesday, August 27: fourth episode at 9 p.m. ET
Tuesday, September 3: fifth and final episode 9 p.m. ET

Where is the trailer of HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Chicago Bears?

On July 30, HBO released the official trailer of the series. You can watch it here:

Players to watch on HBO ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Chicago Bears

The ‘Hard Knocks’ series tend to spend a lot of camera time on the stars and personalities of the team it is covering. Here are some Bears players who might get that extra spotlight:

2024 No. 1 overall draft pick, quarterback Caleb Williams
Wide receiver Keenan Allen, recently traded to Chicago
Safety Jonathan Owens, husband of U.S. gymnast Simone Biles
2024 No. 9 overall draft pick, wide receiver Rome Odunze
Defensive end Montez Sweat
Wide receiver DJ Moore
2024 No. 144 overall draft pick, defensive end Austin Booker

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