There’s plenty of frustration going around in the Bay Area.

As the Golden State Warriors have lost four of their last six games, and as they struggle to stay above .500, a fan published an email exchange he had with team owner Joe Lacob in which both parties expressed their frustration with the team’s performance.

The fan, Justin Dutari, published the exchange on Reddit Sunday, Dec, 14.

“Dear Joe, please do something about this Team,” the email Dutari sent begins, before asking if Stephen Curry needs to score 50 points every night to win.

“Team is (in) need (of) a real second option,” Dutari continues. “Jimmy’s (Butler) tools are being underutilized because he is playing as a power forward due to the small position players. We have no true center.

“I am so frustrated.”

Lacob’s response was brief, but direct.

“You can’t be as frustrated as me,” Lacob wrote. “I am working on it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem.”

The part about “coaches desires” raised questions about a possible disagreement in philosophy between Lacob and coach Steve Kerr. The Warriors confirmed the authenticity of the email, and Kerr responded to the comments Lacob made in a news conference Tuesday, Dec. 16.

“It’s not a big deal,” Kerr told reporters Tuesday. “I’m not concerned about anything like that.

“Well, we’re all frustrated. Joe is frustrated, I’m frustrated – Steph and (Draymond Green). Everybody is frustrated. This is kind of how the league works. I hate when people post private emails. Imagine if everyone’s private emails were posted and how tough that would be to live our lives. Joe supports me 100%. I support him and we have a great connection.”

The Warriors are 13-14 and currently ranked eighth in the Western Conference standings. The team, however, faces questions about the future, as Curry (37 years old), Green (35) and Butler (36) are approaching the eventual descent of their careers.

Boxer Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford, who has won world championships in five different weight classes, announced his retirement from the sport on Dec. 16.

Crawford posted the announcement on social media with a caption saying ‘Walking away as a great with nothing else left to prove.’

‘I’ve been blessed to live out a dream that started long before the lights, the fans, or the world titles. From Omaha to the biggest stages in boxing, every step of this journey was earned through sacrifice, discipline, and faith,’ Crawford wrote in the caption of a five-minute YouTube video.

‘I gave this sport everything I had. I faced the best, moved through weight classes, and made history on my own terms. 42-0. 3x Undisputed. 5 Division World Champion. No shortcuts. No excuses.

‘This isn’t goodbye to boxing … it’s a thank you. Thank you to my family, my team, my city, and the fans who rode with me through every chapter. Thank you to the sport for shaping the man I am today. The gloves may have come off, but legacy is forever.’

The 38-year-old Crawford finishes his career with a 42-0 record (31 KOs), including his last fight in September, an unanimous decision victory over Canelo Alvarez, taking the World Boxing Council super-middleweight title.

Just two weeks ago, the WBC stripped Crawford of that belt for failing to pay their sanctioning fees.

“Very unfortunately, the WBC did not receive an acknowledgment of receipt nor any response to any of those communications,” the WBC said at the time. “The WBC had no choice but to act.”

Crawford, an Omaha, Nebraska, native, had been boxing since he was 8, and turned professional in 2008 after a prolific amateur career. He started racking up world titles in 2013, winning the NABO lightweight title with a TKO victory over Alejandro Sanabria.

Crawford then won world titles at light welterweight, welterweight, light middleweight, and super middleweight, becoming the first boxer ever to be crowned undisputed champion in three weight classes.

The next WWE star could be a Heisman Trophy runner-up. Even better? They could be a premier heel.

If he hasn’t had a tryout, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia just delivered one of the best first impressions for a potential wrestling career, showing maybe his post-college football career should be in the ring and not on the field.

It’s no secret Pavia has become one of the most polarizing players in college football, with a story that is as incredible as his confidence and swagger. That was only proven when he showed he was bitter about not winning the Heisman Trophy, with an expletive directed at the Heisman Trophy voters after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza won it by a comfortable margin.

It was met with swift backlash, including from Vanderbilt’s athletic director as the world saw Pavia as a sore loser. It was obvious he was going to have to apologize for it.

Not the best look for his football career, but he ended up making a great audition for WWE. You could view it as an outburst — or promo.

There is a chance Pavia could get a shot in the NFL, but he’s far from an early round prospect. He could expect to hear his name in day three of the NFL draft, if any front offices are still intrigued despite his size (5-9) and temperament. Chances are he makes it to training camp but faces an uphill battle to last a season.

That’s where wrestling comes in. Recently, WWE has made a push to target college athletes through its ‘next in line’ program, helping athletes transition to the business after graduating. It’s worked, with stars like Oba Femi, Sol Ruca, Bron Breakker shining after making the jump.

Pavia is already half way to proving he could do it. You may think his reaction was awful, but that was as good of a heel performance you could put on. Pavia showed he’d fit right in with the bad guys of wrestling. No one understood it better than Pat McAfee, who doubles as a WWE commentator during the football off-season.

‘I don’t think I’ve seen anybody have a bigger heel turn in one weekend than Diego Pavia,’ McAfee said on his show Dec. 15. ‘Anybody who’s flashy and talks a lot of (expletive) is going to be hated by a group of people regardless. But this weekend, with how it all went, I think a lot of people kind of turned on Diego Pavia.’

People already don’t like Pavia, so could you imagine him getting in the ring, in a place where he can unapologetically himself and speak however he wants? The crowd would boo him endlessly, and that would be gold for WWE’s pockets.

The best comparison would be to Logan Paul. The social media star came into WWE already disliked, knew it and used it to his advantage to become a top heel. You may not like that he came into the wrestling world, but Paul has all the characteristics to be a villain.

Of course, wrestling isn’t all just delivering promos. Paul works well in WWE cause he knows how to wrestle. Pavia does have a wrestling background, winning a New Mexico state title in high school. That helps with a start, but the business of sports entertainment is a whole different monster, and he’d have to be open to learning how to last in the ring. Talking smack can only get you so far if you can’t prove you belong in between the ropes.

Pavia’s future seems quite uncertain. He did work his way up from no Division I football offers out of high school and junior college football to leading Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season. He could find a way to earn a shot in the NFL and end up finding success there — or possibly the CFL.

But if Pavia really wants a chance to thrive after college, wrestling could be the golden ticket. It has a worldwide fan base that is always on the hunt to find its next star to boo for speaking their mind, especially when it’s someone notable.

And the best part, Pavia won’t have to apologize to anyone for being himself.

Mikaela Shiffrin won her fourth consecutive slalom race of the season in Courchevel, France.
The victory marked her 105th career World Cup win, extending her own record.
Shiffrin is winning by significant margins, often over a full second, in a sport decided by hundredths.
Despite difficult and icy course conditions that caused many other skiers to not finish, Shiffrin maintained her form.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s winning streak goes on.

It was the 105th World Cup win of her career, extending her own record. The win increases her leads in both the overall and slalom season standings.

‘I’m just pushing. I don’t know (and) I’m not asking questions,’ Shiffrin said when asked to explain her win streak. ‘Sometimes you’ve just got to take it and roll with it because these women are pushing. They’re pushing like hell. So I have to push, too.’

Paula Moltzan is one of those pushing, skiing the fastest second run to move up four spots to fifth place. It’s her third top-five finish this season; she was eighth at Copper Mountain 2½ weeks ago.

Shiffrin isn’t just winning. She’s winning by massive margins

Impressive as Shiffrin’s win streak is, it’s the dominance of those wins that’s so remarkable. Including Tuesday, when she beat Switzerland’s Camille Rast by 1.55 seconds, Shiffrin has won each slalom race by 1.23 seconds or more.

In a sport often determined by tenths and hundredths of seconds, those are massive margins. Put another way: There was a greater margin between Shiffrin and Rast on Tuesday than between Rast and Wendy Holdener, who was seventh.

If Shiffrin keeps this up, it won’t be enough for her competitors simply to ski well. They’ll need Shiffrin to make mistakes, and that’s something she’s just not doing.

The track in Courchevel was nasty, rutted and icy beneath a thin covering of snow. There were 17 DNFs in the first run, including three of the first six skiers, and another six in the second run. They included Albania’s Lara Colturi, who was second to Shiffrin in the first to slaloms and third in the third, and contenders Lena Duerr and Sara Hector.

But Shiffrin used the conditions to her advantage, rather than letting them jostle her about. Even when she did make mistakes, she was able to quickly recover rather than allowing the error to take her out of her rhythm.

Ahead of the first run, Shiffrin’s team warned her that the course was picking up speed and told her to stick to her plan. She fought through the first few gates, and was just 0.06 seconds ahead of then-leader Rast after the first sector.

But Shiffrin settled in, looking more and more fluid the further down the course she got. By the time she crossed the finish line, Shiffrin was 0.83 seconds ahead of Rast, who raised her hands in a ‘What can you do?’ gesture.

‘Everybody on the first run made some kind of mistakes. It was just really important to be moving and very dynamic,’ Shiffrin said. ‘I executed that very well. That was the big separator.’

With such a big lead going into the second run, Shiffrin just had to stay aggressive. She was slow out of the gate, but was able to find speed after the first sector. She was flying during the second half of the course, her winning streak secure.

‘Some of it is lock in this feel,’ Shiffrin said when asked what she’ll do with the break she now has before her next race.

After dropping their conference championship games, Troy football and Jacksonville State football look to end the 2025 college football season on a high note with a win in the Salute to Veterans Bowl.

Tuesday night’s bowl game in Montgomery is a renewal of the ‘Battle for the Ol’ School Bell’ rivalry between both Yellowhammer State programs, as it is the first meeting between Troy and Jacksonville State since 2001.

Stream the Salute to Veterans Bowl live with Fubo (free trial)

Troy fell to James Madison in the Sun Belt Conference championship game, a loss that sent the Dukes to the College Football Playoff. In that lopsided 31-17 loss to the Dukes, the Trojans lost quarterback Goose Crowder with an apparent ankle injury.

Jacksonville State is bowl-eligible for the third consecutive season since moving up from the FCS level, just the second program to reach that feat, with the other being Marshall. The Gamecocks, who fell in the Conference USA championship game to Kennesaw State, are led by their running back Cam Cook and quarterback Caden Creel. Cook has nearly 1,800 rushing yards on the season, while Creel has run and thrown for at least 1,100 yards each.

USA TODAY Sports is providing you live updates, scores and highlights of the Salute to Veterans Bowl. Follow along:

Troy vs Jacksonville State score

This section will be updated

Troy vs Jacksonville State live updates

This section will be updated

Pregame

Salute to Veterans Bowl coming up

The Salute to Veterans Bowl between Jacksonville State and Troy is coming up in Montgomery. Kickoff might be delayed slightly due to the ongoing Tennessee-Louisville men’s basketball game still on ESPN.

Caden Creel warming up in Salute to Veterans Bowl

Jacksonville State quarterback Caden Creel has taken the field in Montgomery for the Salute to Veterans Bowl against Troy. Creel finished 12 of 21 passes for 96 yards with two sacks and an interception in the Conference USA Championship game. He also had 112 rushing yards and a score on 18 carries in the Gamecocks’ loss to Kennesaw State.

Jacksonville State unveils uniforms for Salute to Veterans Bowl

The Gamecocks look to be wearing their red on white uniform set, with the red pinstripes down the side of the pants, for the Salute to Veterans Bowl against Troy.

What time does Troy vs Jacksonville State start?

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 16
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Where: The Historic Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.)

Troy and Jacksonville State are set for a 9 p.m. ET kickoff on Tuesday, Dec. 16 in the Salute to Veterans Bowl from The Historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.

What TV channel is Troy vs Jacksonville State on today?

TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

ESPN will nationally broadcast the Salute to Veterans Bowl between Troy and Jacksonville State. Matt Barrie and Tom Luginbill will call the game from the booth at The Historic Cramton Bowl, while Harry Lyles Jr. will report from the sidelines.

Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Stream the Salute to Veterans Bowl live with Fubo (free trial)

Troy vs Jacksonville State predictions in Salute to Veterans Bowl

Here’s a compilation of predictions from experts within the USA TODAY Sports Network for the Salute to Veterans Bowl between Troy and Jacksonville State:

Matt Hayes: Troy
Jordan Mendoza: Troy
Paul Myerberg: Jacksonville State
Erick Smith: Troy
Eddie Timanus: Troy
Blake Toppmeyer: Troy

Troy vs Jacksonville State odds, spread for Salute to Veterans Bowl

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, Dec. 15

Spread:
Over/under:
Moneyline:

Troy football schedule 2025

Here’s a look at Troy’s 2025 schedule:

Here’s a look at Troy’s schedule in 2025, including past scores.

Saturday, Aug. 30: Troy 38, Nicholls 20
Saturday, Sept. 6: Clemson 27, Troy 16
Saturday, Sept. 13: Memphis 28, Troy 7
Saturday, Sept. 20: Troy 21, Buffalo 17
Saturday, Sept. 27: BYE
Saturday, Oct. 4: Troy 31, South Alabama 24 (OT) *
Saturday, Oct. 11: Troy 48, Texas State 41 (OT) *
Saturday, Oct. 18: Troy 37, Louisiana-Monroe 14 *
Saturday, Oct. 25: Troy 35, Louisiana 23 *
Saturday, Nov. 1: Arkansas State 23, Troy 10 *
Saturday, Nov. 8: BYE
Thursday, Nov. 13: Old Dominion 33, Troy 0 *
Saturday, Nov. 22: Troy 31, Georgia State 19 *
Saturday, Nov. 29: Troy 28, Southern Miss 18 *
Friday, Dec. 5: No. 19 James Madison 31, Troy 14 **
Tuesday, Dec. 16: vs. Jacksonville State | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo) ***

* Denotes Sun Belt game

** Denotes Sun Belt Championship game

*** Denote bowl game

Jacksonville State football schedule 2025

Here’s a look at Jacksonville State’s 2025 schedule:

Thursday, Aug. 28: UCF 17, Jacksonville State 10
Saturday, Sept. 6: Jacksonville State 34, Liberty 24 *
Saturday, Sept. 13: Georgia Southern 41, Jacksonville State 34
Saturday, Sept. 20: Jacksonville State 45, Murray State 10
Saturday, Sept. 27: Southern Miss 42, Jacksonville State 25
Saturday, Oct. 4: BYE
Thursday, Oct. 9: Jacksonville State 29, Sam Houston 27 *
Wednesday, Oct. 15: Jacksonville State 38, Delaware 25 *
Saturday, Oct. 25: BYE
Wednesday, Oct. 29: Jacksonville State 24, Middle Tennessee 21 *
Saturday, Nov. 8: Jacksonville State 30, UTEP 27 *
Saturday, Nov. 15: Jacksonville State 35, Kennesaw State 26 *
Saturday, Nov. 22: FIU 27, Jacksonville State 21 *
Saturday, Nov. 29: Jacksonville State 37, Western Kentucky 34 *
Friday, Dec. 5: Kennesaw State 19, Jacksonville State 15 **
Tuesday, Dec. 16: vs. Troy | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo) ***

* Denotes Conference USA game

** Denotes Conference USA Championship game

*** Denote bowl game

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Nick Saban now owns part of an NHL franchise.

The former University of Alabama football coach is part of a group that recently purchased a minority stake in the Nashville Predators, the team announced on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who took over as the organization’s majority owner in July, expressed excitement about having Saban ‘join us in our pursuit of championships on the ice in Nashville.’

“Being involved in a sports team in Nashville has always been a goal and the opportunity to partner in the Predators with a class act like Bill Haslam created the perfect scenario,’ Saban said in a news release.

Saban’s share of the team is being purchased through Dream Sports Ventures LLC, an entity controlled by Saban and business partner Joe Agresti. The group also owns Dream Motor Group, which includes 10 auto dealerships in the Southeast.

Saban is a well-known Predators fans, according to The Tennessean, and he spoke to the team’s prospects at the franchise’s development camp this past summer.

‘The Preds are a great organization with a fantastic brand, and we are excited to be part of the future success of the franchise,’ Saban said.

Saban, 74, retired after 17 years as Alabama’s coach following the 2023 season and finished his career with a record seven national championships. He currently serves as a co-host on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay.’

Bending ever-so-slightly to public pressure, FIFA announced Tuesday, Dec. 16 that a number of tickets to all matches at next year’s World Cup in North America will be made available for a discounted price of $60.

FIFA said it will distribute new ‘supporter entry tier’ tickets to national federations of the countries participating in the matches − and they will be allowed to distribute them to loyal fans who have previously attended their nations’ matches at home and on the road.

Fans throughout the world have expressed their displeasure with FIFA’s so-called ‘dynamic pricing’ and the fact that it also acts as its own resale platform. The cheapest tickets for group stage games that did not involve host nations Canada, Mexico and the U.S. ranged from $120 to $265, and from $4,185 to $8,680 for the July 19 championship match in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, prices ranged from $70 to $1,600 after the matches were announced.

FIFA said Tuesday it had received more than 20 million ticket requests during what it calls the ‘random selection draw’ phase, which began last Thursday following the confirmation of the full schedule of matches.

And then there were two.

Although many NBA fans expected the Oklahoma City Thunder to coast to the third-ever NBA Cup title, the San Antonio Spurs, led by third-year center Victor Wembanyama, played spoiler with their 111-109 victory over the Thunder in the semfinals. Now, all that stands between this young group and an NBA Cup championship is the New York Knicks.

The Knicks have had an equally difficult path to the title game, having to take care of both the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic in order to get to this point. While both of those teams are tremendously talented, the Knicks haven’t faced much trouble, winning each game by at least 12 points.

Such dominance would make you think the Knicks are the favorites heading into tonight’s contest. However, the Spurs have proven themselves capable of taking on the best teams in the league, and they will be very tough to beat.

USA TODAY Sports will have live coverage of the NBA Cup final. Here’s everything to know for fans looking to watch tonight’s game between the Spurs and the Knicks:

What time is Spurs vs. Knicks NBA Cup final today?

The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will compete for the third annual NBA Cup title on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. local) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Watch NBA Cup games with Amazon Prime Video

How to watch Spurs vs. Knicks NBA Cup final: TV, live streaming

The 2025 NBA Cup Final between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 16
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT)
Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
TV: N/A
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video