Since Taylor Swift made her first appearance at a Kansas City Chiefs game nearly two years ago, the team has been reaping the benefits.
Chiefs principal owner Clark Hunt says the fanbase’s male-female ratio has gone from 50-50 to 57% female.
Travis Kelce’s jersey sales spiked 400% overnight after Swift’s first appearance at a Chiefs game, according to Fanatics,

Who knew that the beginning of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour would kick off another new era in a totally different part of American culture?

Since she made her first appearance at a Kansas City Chiefs game nearly two years ago, the team has been reaping the benefits of its own Taylor Swift era.

Chiefs principal owner Clark Hunt joined the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Aug. 15, and spoke on the effects that Swift’s relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce have had on the team.

‘It’s been a whirlwind for the organization over the last two years since Taylor literally stepped into our lives,’ Hunt said. ‘She’s done an amazing job, unintentionally, of increasing our female fanbase. We used to be about a 50/50 ratio, male to female fanbase, and now 57% of our fans are female, which I think is probably the highest in the National Football League.

‘So there’s absolutely been a Taylor Swift effect.’

The Chiefs’ Swiftie era can trace its roots back to the pop superstar’s concert at Arrowhead Stadium in July 2023, with two concerts making up one of the earliest stops on her 149-show Eras Tour. Weeks after the tour stop in Kansas City, Kelce lamented on his and his brother’s ‘New Heights’ podcast that he wasn’t able to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it.

Roughly two months later, Swift was spotted on the broadcast cheering on Kelce from a suite at her first Chiefs game. (Hunt said Friday she insisted on getting a ‘normal fan’ experience at that first game with no additional security – ‘she literally walked through the front door,’ he said. With fans largely expecting her to attend the Chiefs’ home games, she has received heightened security from the team in the time since.)

According to analysis by marketing firm Apex Marketing, from September 2023 – when Swift attended that first game – through this past February – the date of the most recent Super Bowl – Swift brought in nearly $1 billion worth of publicity to the NFL.

Swift’s connection to the Chiefs means that Kansas City has undoubtedly gotten one of the largest pieces of that metaphorical pie – and the demographic shift that Hunt pointed out Friday certainly suggests that.

To that end, Kelce’s jersey sales spiked 400% overnight after Swift’s first appearance at a Chiefs game, according to Fanatics, and Kelce, Swift and the Chiefs have not looked back in the time since that first outing. The singer has attended 23 Chiefs games – including five playoff games and two Super Bowls – since the two began their relationship.

On Wednesday, Swift made her first-ever podcast appearance on ‘New Heights’ and spoke about her relationship with Kelce and her experience as a new Chiefs fan. The episode had a record-setting 1.3 million concurrent viewers during its YouTube premiere and now has 15 million views (and counting) on the video streaming site as of Friday afternoon.

Chicago Sky All-Star Angel Reese hasn’t played since the end of July because of a back injury.

The forward still made news off the court on Thursday, Aug. 14, when she announced her signature Reebok shoe will go on sale earlier than expected. The Angel Reese 1s, originally slated for release in 2026, will drop on Sept. 18 for $120.

The AR1s will come in three color combos called Mebounds, Receipts Ready and Diamond Dust.

Reese, 23, has been out with a back injury since the Sky’s 103-86 loss to the Washington Mystics on July 29. She was averaging 14.2 points, a league-leading 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game in her second season in the league.

The 2025-26 Premier League season got off to an entertaining start, with defending champions Liverpool claiming a 4-2 win over Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday, Aug. 15.

The match was infused with emotion from the start, as fans from both teams honored Diogo Jota, the late Liverpool player who passed away in July after a car crash. The Reds eventually rode the crowd support to a first-half lead, with Hugo Ekitiké marking his Liverpool debut by scoring a 37th-minute opener.

Ekitiké would add an assist early in the second half, setting up Cody Gakpo to give Liverpool a two-goal cushion, but the game’s final half-hour ended up being an adventure. Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo — who in the first half reported to the refereeing crew that a racist remark had been directed at him — struck twice in an eight-minute span, flipping what seemed like a comfortable Liverpool win on its head.

However, the hosts recovered from an unlikely source. Federico Chiesa, who has seen his place on Liverpool’s depth chart fall due to an influx of attacking talent, rewarded manager Arne Slot for sending him on as a late substitute, slotting home an 89th-minute game-winning goal that sent Anfield into raptures. Deep in stoppage time, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah bagged the fourth, with the Egypt forward now tied with Andy Cole for fourth all-time in Premier League goals with 187.

Here’s how the Premier League game between Liverpool and Bournemouth went down, including goal highlights and commentary:

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth highlights

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth: Reds claim 4-2 win in season opener

The Premier League has gotten off to an entertaining start, with Liverpool claiming a 4-2 win despite having thrown away an early two-goal lead.

Debutant Hugo Ekitiké had a goal and an assist in the game’s first 49 minutes to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead, but Antoine Semenyo — who in the first half reported to the refereeing crew that a racist remark had been directed at him, apparently from the stands — stunned Anfield with two second-half goals in an eight-minute span.

However, Liverpool recovered, with substitute Federico Chiesa scoring an 89th-minute winner, and Mohamed Salah sealed the deal with a fourth in stoppage time.

Liverpool goal! Salah makes sure of Premier League win

Who else but Mohamed Salah could arrive to make sure Liverpool doesn’t let this second lead of the night slip away.

Four minutes into stoppage time, a simple ball over the top catches Bournemouth napping, and Salah charged across from the right to gain possession.

The Cherries managed to collapse two defenders to confront him, but Salah is a master of these situations, putting in a feint before zipping an angled shot past Djordje Petrović to make it 4-2.

That’s 187 Premier League goals for Salah, tied for the fourth-most in league history (now level with former Manchester United striker Andy Cole).

And before this entry is done, that’s full time.

Liverpool goal! Substitute Chiesa pounces late

Liverpool may just have escaped with a win, with Arne Slot’s final substitute Federico Chiesa improvising to steer home an 89th minute goal that may well be the game-winner.

Chiesa has been overlooked with all of Liverpool’s costly offseason additions, but the Italy winger did very well to read an awkward bounce off of the back of a Bournemouth defender.

Shuffling his feet, Chiesa wisely chose placement over power, finding a gap to fire home what may be a dramatic game-winning goal.

Liverpool makes last sub, removing Wirtz

Arne Slot has used his fifth and final substitution in the 82nd minute, replacing Florian Wirtz with Federico Chiesa.

Despite this being the first of 38 games, these could be a very big 10-plus minutes to play. Liverpool picked up 46 of a possible 57 points at Anfield last season, so this would be a disappointment even before you factor in how they held a 2-0 lead in this game.

Bournemouth goal! Semenyo stunner ties this up 2-2

Anfield is stunned as Antoine Semenyo has struck again, making it 2-2 in the 77th minute.

Liverpool was caught with way too many players forward, and Bournemouth needed two simple passes to create a four-on-two break going the other way. Hamed Traorè found Semenyo to start the break, and Liverpool simply never had the options to stop the Ghana winger’s charging run up the middle.

From there, Semenyo had to make one quick move to open up a shot at the top of the box, burying a shock equalizer.

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth: Substitutions for both teams

Arne Slot has made two more substitutions in the 72nd minute. Curtis Jones is on for Alexis Mac Allister, and defender Joe Gomez has replaced Hugo Ekitiké.

Ekitiké gets a warm round of applause after marking his debut with a goal and what would be a game-winning assist if Bournemouth can’t manage another goal.

It looks as though Liverpool has Gomez at right back, with Wataru Endo moving into the midfield. Dominik Szoboszlai has moved up a line, becoming an attacking midfielder, while Florian Wirtz is now the center forward.

Two minutes later, Bournemouth makes their first change, replacing Alex Scott with Hamed Traorè. That appears to be a like-for-like change.

Bournemouth goal! Semenyo gets Cherries on the board

Liverpool has barely given Bournemouth a sniff of goal, but the Cherries are back in this game after a razor-sharp transition attack ends in a 64th minute Antoine Semenyo goal.

Bournemouth broke out, finding left winger David Brooks in space out wide, and the situation was suddenly a three-on-three.

Brooks delivered a perfect ball, and Semenyo’s hard work to beat everyone to the spot despite starting on the other touchline paid off, with Alisson not able to keep the shot out despite getting a hand to it.

Game on at Anfield.

Liverpool substitutions: Frimpong, Kerkez depart

At the hour mark, Liverpool is the first team to make substitutions, with Arne Slot switching it up at either fullback position.

Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez jog off, with Wataru Endo on at right back and Andrew Robertson setting up on the left.

Liverpool goal! Gakpo makes it 2-0

And just like that, it’s 2-0 Liverpool, leaving Bournemouth with a mountain to climb in the 49th minute.

It’s pretty simple stuff in the aftermath of a corner kick: Hugo Ekitiké held possession inside the box, drawing a defender and showing some patience for Cody Gakpo’s run to arrive.

With Bournemouth not locked in, Gakpo didn’t even have to sprint to find the gap, and from there the Dutch attacker moved play towards the middle before steering a simple shot into the bottom corner.

Like Ekitiké before him, Gakpo offered a celebration commemorating the late Diogo Jota.

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth back underway

No substitutions from either team as the Premier League’s first game of the 2025-26 season is back underway for the second half.

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth: Reds lead 1-0 at halftime

Halftime arrives just as this game threatened to break open, with both teams creating chances in the final seconds.

It’s 1-0 Liverpool, which is more or less a fair reflection of play.

There haven’t been a ton of genuine opportunities, but there are several talking points: a VAR decision that is not going to be popular in most quarters, an alleged racist remark from a Liverpool fan directed at Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, and Hugo Ekitiké’s first goal after a $105 million summer move to Liverpool.

Liverpool goal! Ekitike strikes on his debut

Much has been made of Liverpool’s spending spree this season, and one of the newcomers has delivered on his debut.

Hugo Ekitiké has the first goal of the 2025-26 Premier League season, burying a golden chance in the 37th minute. The French striker seemed to have lost out to Marcos Senesi, but the Bournemouth defender’s tackle was sloppy, and Ekitiké was able to reclaim possession, waltz in alone and fire past Djordje Petrović.

Ekitiké added a touch of class with his celebration, holding up a ’20’ symbol with his hands to honor Diogo Jota, who wore the No. 20 shirt (which, since his passing, has been retired).

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth pauses over reported racist remark

Play at Anfield was halted for nearly two minutes, with referee Antony Taylor bringing both managers together as well as the captains.

The reason for the stoppage is unclear at first, but USA Network relayed from the Premier League that Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo had reported that a racist remark had been directed at him.

There are no further details at this point, and play has resumed.

Liverpool looking for early red card

Bournemouth may be fortunate to escape an early moment at midfield with 11 players.

A bouncing ball confounded Marcos Senesi at midfield, with the Bournemouth center back eventually making clear contact with his fingertips on what could have otherwise been a breakaway from midfield.

The situation was checked by VAR, who ruled that the ball’s earlier contact with Senesi’s thigh is what caused the hand ball, a relatively recent interpretation referees are to use in situations like this. However, replays seem to show that the contact with Senesi missed his arm and took another bounce before the Argentine tipped the ball out of trouble with his hand.

Liverpool isn’t happy, but this game remains 11-on-11 as VAR ruled there was not a denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO).

Around the 27th minute, USA Network’s broadcast team said that the Premier League’s official choice on the play was that the opportunity for Liverpool wasn’t clear enough to be declared ‘obvious,’ rather than the decision being about the handling offense.

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth: Premier League season kicks off

Following a touching minute’s silence to commemorate the passing of Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva (who died in a car crash in July), the 2025-26 Premier League season has officially kicked off.

Liverpool has us underway at Anfield.

Liverpool vs. Bournemouth: Time, TV channel and how to watch Premier League soccer

Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Anfield (Liverpool, England)
TV: USA Network (English), Universo (Spanish)
Stream: Fubo

Watch Liverpool vs. Bournemouth on Fubo (free trial)

Liverpool lineup: Starting XI vs. Bournemouth

Liverpool’s first starting 11 of the 2025-26 Premier League season includes all four of its most costly additions from the summer transfer window, with Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké, Milos Kirkez, and Jeremie Frimpong all included in Arne Slot’s lineup.

Here is the complete starting 11 to face Bournemouth:

Bournemouth lineup: Starting XI vs. Liverpool

Bournemouth has announced Andoni Iraola’s starting lineup to take on Premier League champions Liverpool. USMNT star Tyler Adams is unsurprisingly on the list, as is another former MLS player in goalkeeper Djordje Petrović (who joined the Cherries this summer in a reported $33.8 million transfer from Chelsea).

Here is the full Bournemouth starting 11:

USA TODAY Sports’ 48-page special edition commemorates 30 years of Major League Soccer, from its best players to key milestones and championship dynasties to what exciting steps are next with the World Cup ahead. Order your copy today!

The NCAA is handing out four different show-cause orders to the four people most involved in the Michigan football team’s sign-stealing scandal in 2023.
The show-cause orders are against former Wolverines Connor Stalions, Jim Harbaugh, Denard Robinson and current head coach Sherrone Moore.
A program seeking to hire someone with an active show-cause would have to appear before the NCAA’s committee on infractions and make a strong case why it specifically wants to hire the person.

The NCAA announced Friday it was handing out four different show-cause orders to the four people most involved in the University of Michigan football team’s sign-stealing scandal in 2023.

But what is a show-cause order? And who is it affecting?

The NCAA’s announcement on Aug. 15 of sanctions against the Michigan program included penalties for four people associated with the scandal: Connor Stalions, the former Michigan defensive analyst who orchestrated much of the illicit ‘off-campus, in-person scouting scheme;’ Jim Harbaugh, former Michigan head coach and current Los Angeles Chargers head coach; Denard Robinson, former assistant director of player personnel for Michigan; and Sherrone Moore, Michigan’s active head coach.

Here’s what to know about the show-cause orders imposed on each of them:

Who was penalized by the NCAA for Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal?

The NCAA announced its sanctions for Michigan’s illicit activities in the 2023 season on Friday.

Here are the four active or former personnel members of the Michigan football program hit with sanctions for their involvement in the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal and what their penalties are, per the NCAA:

Former defensive analyst Connor Stalions: Eight-year show-cause order
Former head coach Jim Harbaugh: 10-year show-cause order, which begins Aug. 7, 2028 after the conclusion of a current, four-year show-cause order from a previous rules violation.
Former assistant director of player personnel Denard Robinson: Three-year show-cause order
Current head coach Sherrone Moore: Two-year show-cause order, plus a three-game ban. Michigan self-imposed a two-game ban for Moore during the 2025 season, which he will serve in Weeks 3 and 4 (vs. Central Michigan, at Nebraska) this year. The NCAA also imposed its own one-game ban for the Wolverines’ first game in the 2026 season (vs. Western Michigan in Germany).

All three former members of Michigan’s football program are not currently employed by a college football program and are restricted ‘from all athletically related activities during the show-cause period.’

Moore, who is Michigan’s active head coach, did not receive the same prohibitions.

The football program as a whole also received its own list of penalties. They include four years’ probation, a ‘multimillion-dollar fine’ and certain prohibitions on recruitment: ‘a 25% reduction in football official visits during the 2025-26 season’ and ‘a 14-week prohibition on recruiting communications in the football program during the probation period.’

What is a show-cause order?

A show-cause order is essentially a college football-wide ban on hiring a person to join their coaching staff.

If Michigan or any other college football program wanted to hire Stalions, Harbaugh, Robinson or Moore (or any other person with an active show-cause), it would have to appear before the NCAA’s committee on infractions and make a strong case for why it specifically wants to hire one of them.

The name ‘show cause’ comes from the case that the prospective employer must make to the NCAA, showing cause for why previous infractions will not happen again if a previous offender is hired at a new program.

Show-cause orders are a somewhat common penalty imposed on coaches or other personnel found to have violated major rules.

Other recent/active show-cause orders in college athletics

Here are a few other examples of recent or active show-cause orders in college sports:

Kelvin Sampson, 2008: The former Indiana head basketball coach and current Houston head coach received a five-year show-cause for NCAA violations during his time at Indiana, including impermissible calls to recruits.
Bruce Pearl, 2011: The former Tennessee head basketball coach and current head coach at Auburn received a three-year show-cause for lying to the NCAA about hosting a recruit during a cookout at his home.
Jim Tressel, 2011: The former Ohio State head coach received a five-year show-cause for failing to report NCAA violations involving his team’s players.
Jeremy Pruitt, 2023: The former Tennessee head football coach received a six-year show-cause for providing impermissible benefits to recruits during his time coaching the Volunteers. Pruitt’s show-cause is still active and runs through July 13, 2029.

Most of the NHL’s top unrestricted free agents found homes early in July.

But there is still plenty of action to track during the NHL offseason. There are trades to be made and restricted free agents to re-sign. Salary arbitration hearings were scheduled from July 20 to Aug. 4, although players and teams settled beforehand in all 11 cases.

Also, players whose contracts run out after the 2025-26 season are eligible to sign contract extensions at any time.

Here is a look at the latest signings, trades and other news that have happened since the initial surge of movement in late June and early July:

Aug. 15: Travis Hamonic signs with Red Wings

Hamonic is getting a one year deal at $1 million. The veteran depth addition likely will play in the bottom defense pairing. He ranked second on the Ottawa Senators last season in blocked shots per 60 minutes and also killed penalties. Detroit will be his fifth NHL team. Hamonic, who turns 35 on Aug. 16, has 53 goals and 242 points in 900 career games.

Aug. 10: Jack Johnson signs tryout agreement with Wild

The 38-year-old defenseman will go to camp as a tryout in a bid for a 20th NHL season. He played 41 games last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wild might be without defenseman Jonas Brodin at the beginning of the season, according to the Athletic.

Also: The Kraken agreed to terms with defenseman Ryker Evans for two years at a $2.05 million average. He ranked fourth among Seattle blueliners with 25 points and was first with 123 hits.

Aug. 9: Nathan Bastian signs with Stars

He’ll get a one-year, $775,000 contract and add depth to the forward group. Bastian had played all but 12 games of his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils and ranked third among New Jersey regulars last season with 12.83 hits per 60 minutes. He has career totals of 33 goals, 68 points and 190 penalty minutes in 276 regular season games between the Devils and Seattle Kraken.

Aug. 8: Two-time Stanley Cup winner Kyle Clifford retires

Cllifford, who won Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings, is retiring after 13 NHL seasons. The NHL Players’ Association said he would move into a player development role with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clifford had two stints with the Leafs and finished his playing career in the organization with the American Hockey League’s Marlies. He also played for the St. Louis Blues and finished with 66 goals, 144 points and 905 penalty minutes in 753 NHL games.

Aug. 8: Avalanche re-sign Joel Kiviranta

Kiviranta is sticking around for a third season in Colorado by signing a one-year deal. Terms weren’t released. The bottom-six forward had 16 goals last season.

Aug. 2: Nick Robertson settles before arbitration hearing

All 11 players who filed for salary arbitration settled their cases before their hearings, with the Maple Leafs and Robertson the last to do so. Here are the new contracts the players agreed to, listed alphabetically.

Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets): Two years, $3.7 million.
Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks): Five years, $32.5 million.
Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks): Two years, $2.2 million.
Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken). Three years, $13.575 million.
Nick Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs). One year, $1.825 million.
Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets): Three years, $15.75 million.
Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks): Two years, $5.5 million.
Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens): Two years, $2.825 million.
Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres): Two years, $4.4 million.
Maxim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders): Two years, $4.5 million.
Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets): Six years, $45 million.

July 31: Sabres’ Devon Levi re-signs for two years

He’ll average $812,500 in the deal and is the final restricted free agent who needed to re-sign. He has had back-to-back solid seasons in the American Hockey League. With the Buffalo Sabres signing Alex Lyon this summer, Levi is expected to spend more time in the AHL for now.

July 28: Nicklas Backstrom signs deal in Sweden

The former Capitals star, 37, is returning to hockey by signing a deal to play for Brynas for the first time since 2006-07. He had played 1,105 NHL games in between, recording 1,033 points. But he had missed all of last season and most of 2023-24 while recovering from 2022 hip surgery.

July 17: Maple Leafs acquire Dakota Joshua from Canucks

Vancouver receives a 2028 fourth-round pick. Joshua will likely slot in the Maple Leafs’ bottom six forwards. He had a career-best 18 goals and 32 points in 2023-24 but missed the beginning of last season after having surgery for testicular cancer. He finished with 14 points in 57 games. He originally was drafted by the Maple Leafs but never played for them.

July 17: Blue Jackets’ Yegor Chinakhov requests trade

Yegor Chinakhov, a former first-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, has asked for a trade.

The agent for Chinakhov posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the trade request.

“I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season,” read the post quoting Chinakhov. “Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location. Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here.”

Chinakhov, who was selected with the No. 21 overall selection in 2020, missed nearly half of last season with a back injury, an issue that also sidelined him for the final 17 games in the previous season. – Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch

July 15: Sabres re-sign Bowen Byram for two years

The defenseman will average $6.25 million in the deal. He was considered a candidate for an offer sheet but the Sabres reportedly filed for arbitration to prevent that. He ranked third among Sabres defensemen in average ice time and third with 38 points. The cap hit makes him the third highest paid defenseman on the team behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

The NCAA fined Michigan, gave coach Sherrone Moore a show-cause order and suspension, and placed the program on probation for sign-stealing.
Former coach Jim Harbaugh received a 10-year show-cause order, while other staff members also faced penalties.
Michigan self-imposed a two-game suspension for Moore in 2025, and the NCAA opted not to issue a postseason ban.
Lack of cooperation and destruction of evidence contributed to the severity of penalties.

Nearly two full years after news broke of an investigation into alleged in-person scouting and sign-stealing from the Michigan football program, the Wolverines have been handed their punishment.

The NCAA has slapped Michigan with a sizable fine, handed Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore a two-year show cause order and suspended him the first game of the 2026 season, and put Michigan on four years probation, the NCAA announced on Aug. 15 following an investigation from its committee on infractions. Michigan has already self-imposed a two-game suspension on Moore for the 2025 season.

The fine for the Wolverines includes:

$50,000, plus 10% of the football program’s budget
A sum equivalent to the anticipated loss of all postseason competition revenue sharing from the 2025 and 2026 football seasons
A sum equivalent to the cost of 10% of the scholarships awarded in Michigan’s football program for the 2025-26 academic year

The total from all of those fines is expected to be around $30 million.

The NCAA also handed former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, now the head coach of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, a 10-year show cause, which will take effect Aug. 7, 2028, when the four-year show cause he was given from a separate NCAA investigation concludes.

Connor Stalions, the former Michigan staffer who spearheaded the program’s in-person scouting operation, has received an eight-year show cause. Stalions resigned from his position with the Wolverines in November 2023 and has been out of college athletics in an official capacity since.

In May, Michigan announced the self-imposed suspension for Moore, which will force him to miss games against Central Michigan and Nebraska this season. Moore had been Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator while the in-person scouting occurred from 2021-23.

In a statement, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said he ‘fully’ supports Moore.

‘I am glad that this part of the process has been completed,’ Moore said in a statement. ‘I greatly respect the rules governing collegiate athletics and it is my intent to have our program comply with those rules at all times. I will continue to focus my attention on our team and the upcoming 2025 season.’

Other sanctions against the Wolverines include a 25% reduction in football official visits during the 2025-26 academic year, a 14-week prohibition on recruiting communications in the football program and a three-year show-cause order for former assistant director of player personnel Denard Robinson. Robinson, a star quarterback at the school from 2009-12, hasn’t been with the program since May 2024, shortly after he was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Michigan has since said it will appeal the NCAA’s ruling.

The NCAA said it had ‘sufficient grounds’ to levy Michigan with a multiyear postseason ban due to the severity of the transgressions and the program’s status as a repeat violator, but elected not to do so because such a move ‘would unfairly penalize student-athletes for the actions of coaches and staff who are no longer associated with the Michigan football program.’

The organization also declined to vacate any of the Wolverines’ wins or records, which could have potentially included their national championship at the end of the 2023 season. Norman Bay, the chief hearing officer for the NCAA committee on infractions panel, said vacating records only occurs when there’s an ineligible player competing, which wasn’t a factor in Michigan’s case. Additionally, Bay said after news of the sign-stealing probe broke in October 2023 that there was ‘no evidence” that Stalions did anything to affect the outcome of games.

The NCAA found that from 2021-23, Stalions directed and arranged for staff members, interns and acquaintances to conduct off-campus, in-person scouting of future Michigan opponents. Stalions would purchase game tickets and transfer them to the individuals, a network that was referred to as the ‘KGB.’ Those involved in the operation would film the signals used by coaches of future opponents and pass the film along to Stalions, who would decipher them. During games, Stalions had access to prominent coaching staff members, who he would stand next to.

In all, 13 future Wolverines opponents were scouted across 52 different games. Stalions claimed he spent nearly $35,000 on tickets during the 2022 season alone. He denied receiving any outside funding for those purchases and the NCAA’s enfocement staff was unable to substantiate the origin of that money.

“The true scope and scale of the scheme, including the competitive advantage it afforded, will never be fully known due to individuals’ intentional destruction and withholding of materials and information. But the intent was clear — to gain a substantial competitive advantage,’ Bay said in a news conference. ‘You don’t put together a network of individuals called the ‘KGB’ that records what they call ‘dirty film’ where the cost of doing this is in the tens of thousands of dollars over three seasons unless you intend to gain a substantial competitive advantage.”

The findings against Stalions were corroborated by interview testimonies, ticket receipts and transfer data, and other evidence that included a master chart of Michigan’s opponents and who could attend the games, a Google Calendar to track attendees and a document entitled “How to Steal Signals.’

The show causes for Harbaugh, Moore, Stalions and Robinson came in part because the NCAA said ‘each failed to meet the membership’s expectations of cooperation’ during the investigation, conduct that ranged from destroying evidence to providing false and misleading information during interviews.

Moore had deleted his entire 52-message text thread with Stalions after news of the former analyst’s scheme first broke in October 2023. The NCAA said Moore initially blamed the deleted messages on storage space, but later admitted doing so as a reaction to the news.

Stalions had instructed an intern with the football program to ‘clear out’ emails, photos, text messages and videos related to the scouting scheme. He also admitted during a hearing that he smashed his phone into 1,000 pieces and disposed of the remains, as well as a hard drive, in a pond.

The NCAA noted that Harbaugh ‘did not embrace or enforce a culture of compliance during his tenure’ and that his program ‘had a contentious relationship with Michigan’s compliance office, leading coaches and staff to disregard NCAA rules.’ One Wolverines staff member, according to the NCAA, described the school’s compliance staff as the ‘scum of the earth.’

Harbaugh refused to be interviewed by NCAA enforcement staff and never turned over any emails or text messages.

Michigan football sign-stealing punishment

The full punishment for Michigan football included fines, show-cause penalties for several major figures within the Michigan program at the time of the infractions, and a suspension for then-offensive coordinator and current head coach Sherrone Moore.

Here is a look at the full punishment:

Four-year probation
$50,000 fine
10% of the Michigan football program budget
A fine equivalent to 2025 and 2026 postseason revenue sharing
A fine equivalent to 10% of Michigan’s 2025-26 scholarships
25% reduction in official football visits for 2025
14-week prohibition on recruiting comms in the football program during probation
Eight-year show-cause for Connor Stalions
10-year show-cause for Jim Harbaugh (on top of previous four-year show-cause for 14 years total)
Three-year show-cause for Denard Robinson
Two-year show-cause for Sherrone Moore, plus a one-game suspension on top of Michigan’s self-imposed two-game suspension to be served in 2026

Michigan NCAA appeal

The school added that it will ‘consider all other options.’

‘We appreciate the work of the Committee on Infractions,’ the university wrote in a statement. ‘But, respectfully, in a number of instances the decision makes fundamental errors in interpreting NCAA bylaws; and it includes a number of conclusions that are directly contradictory to the evidence — or lack of evidence — in the record. ‘

All the bugs are out in full force as the summer rolls on and it’s the injury bug that took a bite out of Travis Hunter.

The Jacksonville Jaguars might be forced to play without the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday night in New Orleans after Hunter suffered an upper-body injury.

He was held out of practice on Friday, Aug. 15, leaving his status in doubt as the preseason continues.

Given Hunter’s desire to play offense and defense at the NFL level, every injury will be magnified – no matter how minor it appears. Jacksonville likely will be extra cautious given the added workload, but the team doesn’t seem to be concerned at this time.

Here’s the latest on Travis Hunter.

Travis Hunter injury update

Hunter is dealing with an upper-body injury.

The ailment kept him out of Friday’s practice and now puts his status in jeopardy for Saturday’s Week 2 preseason contest against the New Orleans Saints.

Coach Liam Coen didn’t seem too worried about the injury, telling reporters that the two-way rookie was held out for precautionary reasons.

If Hunter can’t play on Saturday, his next chance to suit up will be on Saturday, Aug. 23 when the Jaguars wrap up the preseason against the Miami Dolphins.

Baseball’s best rivalry this decade is about to jump off once again — yet with the principals in decidedly unfamiliar circumstances.

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers will reconvene for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium this weekend and this time, it is the Padres on top of the National League West by just a game.

Not a big deal? Well, consider that this is the latest in the season that the Padres have occupied first place since 2010, when they were overtaken on the last weekend of the season by the San Francisco Giants, who’d then launch a mini-dynasty.

And it’s just as much unfamiliar territory for the dynastic and big-spending Dodgers, who have won 11 of 12 West titles since 2013.

As the Padres (69-52) and Dodgers (68-53) reengage, here’s what to watch in this first of six matchups over the next nine games:

Playoff encore

It’s possible San Diegans haven’t totally gotten over the 2024 NL Division Series, when the Padres held a 2-1 lead only to see the Dodgers win a bullpen game and then get a gem from Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the deciding Game 5.

As the Dodgers rolled to the World Series title, hindsight lent credence to the theory that this was the best matchup of the postseason, a couple rounds too early.

There was plenty of spice in that battle, as well. Dodger Stadium fans caused a brief delay in Game 2 after engaging with Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar, and a similar imbroglio developed in right field with Fernando Tatis Jr.

Meanwhile, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took exception to the manner in which his former shortstop, Manny Machado, tossed baseballs back to the Dodgers’ dugout from Machado’s perch at third base.

Grandstanding met by grandstanding? Perhaps.

Season series

While the Padres hold a slim division lead, they’ve got some work to do against the Dodgers this season. L.A. has won five of seven matchups and can clinch the season series with two victories this weekend. That’s no minor feat given how close the teams are in the standings, with the season series winner gaining a tiebreaker that essentially adds another game to their lead.

The teams’ first seven games were, like this one, played almost consecutively, with just one series breaking them up. And the Dodgers reeled off three consecutive home victories to build a 4 ½-game lead by June 18.

It would balloon to nine games by July 3, seemingly putting the West race on ice given the Dodgers’ dynastic track record. Yeah, about that …

Dodgers’ July collapse

After that high-water mark, the Dodgers would immediately lose 11 of 13 games, including a pair of sweeps by the Milwaukee Brewers, who would shortly assume the tag as best team in baseball.

Their 10-14 July shaved their West lead to three games, and would seem to suggest reinforcements were necessary at the deadline.

Yeah, about that …

Padres: Deadline dealers, fast climbers

Instead, it was notoriously active Padres club president A.J. Preller who again “won the trade deadline,” though perhaps we can remove the air quotes already. His acquisition of top-flight reliever Mason Miller to what was already the game’s best bullpen gave the club a lockdown look in the late innings.

And additions of outfielder Ramon Laureano and lefty slugger Ryan O’Hearn in a deal with Baltimore lengthened the lineup and boosted the outfield defense.

Since then? The Padres have won nine of 12 games post-deadline, erasing the last three games of the Dodgers’ lead — and taking a one-game advantage themselves.

Dodgers-Padres pitching matchups

While pitching matchups always matter in late-season intra-division battles, they take on a greater significance here since so many of the arms are recent reinforcements.

Friday: Padres RHP Michael King vs. Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw.

Saturday: Padres RHP Dylan Cease vs. Dodgers LHP Blake Snell.

Sunday: Padres RHP Yu Darvish vs. Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow.

Wow, a lot to parse here. King has made just one start since missing three months with a pinched nerve in his throwing shoulder. Snell has made just one start since missing four months with his own shoulder issues.

Darvish (eight starts after missing the first half with elbow inflammation) and Glasnow (six starts after three-month shoulder-related absence) also have limited recent samples, though Glasnow has pitched well of late.

The man to watch: Snell, who won the 2023 NL Cy Young Award as a Padre, struck out 10 in five innings of his most recent start. If he builds upon that and resembles the guy who pitched so dominantly after a similar return in 2024, it could drastically change the dynamics of this race.

Dodgers-Padres: How to watch

MLB Network will broadcast both Friday’s game (10:10 ET) and Sunday’s game (4:10 ET).

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been out with a right groin injury for nearly a month, leaving many fans wondering when the All-Star guard will make her return to the court.

Clark will miss the Fever’s matchup against the Washington Mystics on Friday, her 12th consecutive absence since suffering the groin injury July 15. Clark, who previously missed time with a left quad and a left groin injury, has been sidelined 20 of the Fever’s 33 games this season. Indiana is 8-5 with Clark in the lineup and 10-10 without her on the floor.

Clark’s lengthy absence marks uncharted territory for the 2024 Rookie of the Year, who never missed a game during her four years at Iowa or during her rookie campaign with the Fever.

‘I’ve never been through anything like this, which is probably why it’s been so hard,’ Clark said during a Aug. 8 episode of Sue Bird’s podcast, ‘Bird’s Eye View.’ ‘I’ve never really dealt with injury. It’s probably been a challenge in itself because when I was first feeling pain, I didn’t understand it.’

Clark isn’t the only injury Indiana is navigating. The Fever lost guards Sydney Colson (left ACL tear) and Aari McDonald (broken right foot) to season-ending injuries, further depleting the team’s depth at point guard. The Fever signed guard Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract on Sunday and guard Kyra Lambert to a seven-day contract on Thursday.

Here’s what we know about Clark’s injury status, including a full injury timeline:

Is Caitlin Clark playing Friday? Injury status for Fever-Mystics

Clark (right groin injury) will likely be ruled out of the Fever’s matchup against the Washington Mystics on Friday in Indianapolis, which is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) on ESPN. Indiana hasn’t announced a timetable for Clark’s return. Earlier this week, Fever coach Stephanie White said Clark has resumed running, but hasn’t returned to practice just yet, meaning her return won’t be anytime soon.

If Clark is ruled out, Friday’s game against the Mystics would mark her 21st total absence of the year.

How was Caitlin Clark injured?

Clark suffered a right groin injury in the final minute of the Fever’s 85-77 victory over the Sun at TD Garden in Boston on July 15. With 39.1 seconds remaining in the contest, Clark completed a bounce pass to Kelsey Mitchell to put the Fever up 84-75. After the pass, Clark immediately grabbed for her right groin and grimaced as she gingerly walked over and headbutted the stanchion. She did not return to the game. 

Caitlin Clark injury timeline

May 24: Clark suffered a left quad injury during the Fever’s 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty, where she recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Clark couldn’t pinpoint the specific play that caused her injury, but noted that it happened early in the contest. Clark said, ‘Adrenaline covers up a lot of stuff when you’re in the heat of battle. After the game, I had some pain, and then we got an MRI, and that kind of gave me the result that I didn’t want to see.’ She missed the Fever’s next five games.
June 14: Clark returned to Indiana’s lineup in the Fever’s 102-88 win over the Liberty and dropped 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in her first game back. 
June 24: Clark suffered a left groin injury in the Fever’s 94-86 win over the Seattle Storm, which resulted in Clark missing the team’s next four games. Fever coach Stephanie White said she learned of Clark’s groin injury the following night after Clark alerted team trainers of discomfort.
July 1: Clark was ruled out of the Fever’s 2025 Commissioner’s Cup win over the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis. That didn’t stop Clark from rightfully celebrating the team’s hardware.
July 9: Clark returned to the Fever’s lineup in the Fever’s 80-61 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Clark was limited to 10 points, shooting 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 5 from the 3-point line, in addition to six assists, five rebounds and four turnovers. Following the blowout loss, Clark said it was ‘going to take me a second to get my wind back. … Just trying to get my legs under me.’
July 15: Clark suffered a right groin injury in the final minute of the Fever’s 85-77 victory over the Sun at TD Garden in Boston. White later confirmed Clark ‘felt a little something in her groin.’ This marked the last game for which Clark suited up.
July 18: Clark announced that she would sit out the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where she was named a team captain. Clark was also set to participate in the 3-point contest. She said, ‘I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate … I have to rest my body.’
July 24: The Fever said Clark’s medical evaluations confirmed there’s ‘no additional injuries or damage,’ but the team said it will be cautious with Clark’s rehab and recovery.
August 8: During an appearance on Sue Bird’s podcast, ‘Bird’s Eye View,’ Clark spoke about the frustrations of her injury-filled season: “It’s not like I have a training camp to build up to play in my first game again. It’s like no, you’re tossed into Game 30 — like, ‘Go try to play well.’ It’s hard, it really is.”
August 10: Fever coach Stephanie White said Clark has progressed in her recovery and has started running full court again, but Clark hasn’t returned to practice just yet: an important step in her ramp-up. ‘She’s been able to get a little bit more in her full-court running with all of her body weight… She’s been able to do a little more on the court in terms of how she moves, but not into practice yet,’ White said.

Caitlin Clark stats

Clark is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and a career-high 8.8 assists in 13 games this season. Her assists average is the second-highest in the league, behind Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas (9.0).

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