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Claressa Shields is putting her undisputed heavyweight title on the line against Lani Daniels Saturday, July 26, but a piece of her mind is occupied by someone else.

Laila Ali.

Shields and her team have said they put $15 million in escrow for Ali — provided she agrees to fight Shields. Four days since they made the offer, Ali has yet to respond, according to Shields.

“Do you want to entertain a fight or do you not?’’ Shields said, referring to Muhammad Ali’s daughter. “And I think that she should let me and the public know because the public is very, very interested. …

‘Honestly, a fight with me and Laila Ali would be one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing. I think we should do it for the culture. We should do it for the boxing culture. We should do it for so many to prove who is the best.”

On second thought…

‘I don’t need to prove to the world that I’m better than Laila,” Shields said. ‘I think everyone knows that.’

Ali did not respond to requests for comment left by USA TODAY Sports by email and voicemail and text message on a phone number listed in her name.

Shields, 30, also suggested Ali, 47, should not be considered too old to fight.

“I see people complaining and saying her age and everything,’’ Shields said. “But Laila has been constantly picking at me, constantly talking trash about me for the past, I don’t know, six, seven years. And she always talks about how she can come out of retirement and the reason she hasn’t come out of retirement (is) because nobody’s good enough, the bag isn’t good enough.’’

Raising the stakes

Shields and her team raised the stakes July 18 when, in a video published by TMZ, they said they had put $15 million in escrow for Ali.

Ali, the eighth of Muhammad Ali’s nine children, was 24-0 with 21 knockouts during a pro boxing career that spanned from 1999 to 2007. Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, is 16-0 with 3 KOs as a pro.

Does Shields think Ali will take the fight?

“Listen, I have no idea,” she replied, ‘but I know I can be 60 and if one of these young girls come calling me out when they got $15 million, I’m stepping out. I’m stepping up and I’m going to get the money. Especially if I’m in good shape and I’m helping and I believe that I can still fight. I’m definitely going to do it.’’

Shields indicated that Ali’s disrespect for her is one reason she wants to fight.

“When you said I didn’t have skills, I didn’t have power, that I can’t keep you off of me, that I’m not skilled enough, I’m not good enough,’’ Shields said. “I just want to get inside the ring with her to show her I am a hundred times better than you, even though I’m smaller than you. Because Laila is bigger than me, but size do not win fights.

“Hopefully by beating her I earn her respect and she can put up a good fight and she can earn mine because she don’t got mine either.’’

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Bowing to pressure from President Donald Trump, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee quietly changed its rules to prevent participation by transgender women athletes.

Buried on page five of its ‘Athlete Safety Policy’ is a paragraph stating, ‘The USOPC is committed to protecting opportunities for athletes participating in sport. The USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., IOC, IPC, NGBs, to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act.’

While that mentions nothing about transgender athletes, the executive order signed by Trump is designed to prevent transgender girls and women from participating in sports. In a letter sent Tuesday to the U.S. Olympic community, USOPC president Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland said the change came after ‘a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials’ following the executive order, which Trump signed in February.

‘As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations. The guidance we’ve received aligns with the Ted Stevens Act, reinforcing our mandated responsibility to promote athlete safety and competitive fairness,’ the letter read.

The letter also said individual national governing bodies are required to update their policies to align with the USOPC’s change, first reported by the New York Times.

Prior to this change, which was adopted last month, the USOPC had said decisions on transgender participation were to be made based on ‘fairness’ and should be up to each individual sport’s governing body.

‘In our world of elite sport, these elements of fairness demand that we reconcile athlete inclusion and athlete opportunity. The only way to do that for all genders, and specifically for those who are transgender, is to rely on real data and science-based evidence rather than ideology,’ according to a page on the USOPC’s website, which now carries a note at the top referring to the Athlete Safety Policy.

The United States has never had an openly transgender woman athlete compete at the Olympics. In fact, in the 20 years the IOC allowed the participation of transgender athletes, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is the only openly transgender woman to compete at an Olympic Games. Hubbard was knocked out in the opening round.

But inclusion of transgender athletes has become an increasingly charged political issue, despite a lack of science showing they have a competitive advantage. World Athletics and World Aquatics have both banned transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing, and International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry last month announced the creation of a task force to examine how to ‘protect the female category.’

The USOPC had said little about the issue. But with Los Angeles hosting the Summer Games in 2028, it has been careful not to say or do anything that could draw the ire of the Trump administration. While the USOPC is not funded by the government, as many other countries are, it does use government services. The Department of Homeland Security, for example, will help provide security for Los Angeles.

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NEW YORK — With the WNBA All-Star Game in the rearview mirror, talk about the contentious collective bargaining agreement meeting, calls for more player rest during the break, and players sporting “pay us what you owe us” warmup shirts before the festivities in Indianapolis, the only thing that matters for the 51 days left for when the 44-game regular season ends on Sept. 11 is the actual basketball being played.

Two teams that have those postseason aspirations are the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever, who ran it back on Tuesday from their previous game last week, which closed out the first half of the season.

The defending champions are finally fully healthy, with 2024 Finals MVP Jonquel Jones back after missing a month because of an ankle injury and made sure to add more firepower before the Aug. 7 trade deadline by adding forward Emma Meesseman, who will make her first appearance in the league since 2022 and is also a WNBA Finals MVP, winning the honors in 2019 with the Washington Mystics.

Jones’ return to the lineup paid immediate dividends, as she opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on her way to 18 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes, showing little rust from her injury as the Liberty used a 13-0 run to pull away in the second half and defeated Indiana, 98-84, in front of another sellout crowd at the Barclays Center.  

Jones, who saw her first action since June 19, was one of six New York players in double figures. Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich each scored 17 points as the Liberty (16-6) extended their winning streak to four. Sabrina Ionescu, who finished with 13 points, nine assists and five rebounds, hit three 3-pointers in 70 seconds late in the fourth quarter to give the Liberty their largest lead at 89-75.

‘It felt great to be back out there. I feel like I am at an eight out of 10 in terms of conditioning,’ Jones said after the game.’

Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 29 points. Aliyah Boston had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists before fouling out, and Sophie Cunningham added 15 points for the Fever (12-12), who suffered their worst loss of the season, 98-77, when they were in Brooklyn last week.

Both teams and coaches spent considerable time yapping at the officials, as Indiana was called for 22 personal fouls, and New York was whistled for 17, and both were sloppy with the ball: the Liberty had 20 turnovers and the Fever gave it away 19 times.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Fever, who face the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, July 24 and play five of their next seven games on the road.

Big second half additions

Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said that with the remaining two months of the season, the team will work Jones back into shape and incorporate Meesseman into the rotation. Meesseman was not available against the Fever and has not signed a contract yet, according to general manager Jonathan Kolb. She will be with the team depending on how long her visa application takes to process.

“I think we’re in a good spot. We’re without one of our key players for such a long time, and I think we handled it as well as we could. There’s some games, I think two games that, you know, probably should have could have, but great learning experiences for us,’ Brondello said. ‘You know, it’s just about getting health and to add someone like Emma (Meesseman), that’s pretty exciting. She’s a great player. I think she’ll fit into the system very easily with the way that we play as a team at both ends of the floor.  

‘You still have to put it all together, you know. Talent doesn’t win championships. I’m excited to have everyone and, you know, build these next 23 games into the playoff.”

Caitlin Clark’s return unknown

Clark saw a doctor on Tuesday for another opinion on the injury, and White did not have any updates about when she would return to the Fever’s lineup. Indiana began the night in sixth place in the WNBA standings, with 20 games remaining in the regular season.

“These soft tissue injuries, sometimes nag until you can actually have time to really allow to heal in the offseason,” White said.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

ASHBURN, Va. – As Washington Commanders veterans reported to training camp Tuesday for the formal start of the 2025 season, general manager Adam Peters said President Donald Trump recently weighing in on the team’s name and quest to build a new stadium in Washington D.C. doesn’t impact the team at all.

‘We’re really focused on everything in the building and getting ready for the season and getting our guys in here and getting the building ready … whether it’s the stadium or anything else, those things don’t really make it to us,’ Peters said. ‘We really just try to focus on what’s going on in here and getting ready for the season.’

Don’t be fooled by Trump using Washington Commanders name as a distraction | Opinion

As the D.C. City Council waits to vote on the agreed-upon proposal between Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Commanders, Trump has threatened to put a ‘restriction’ on the move. Congress formally gave the local D.C. government control of the land where RFK Stadium sits earlier this year.

Washington became the Commanders in 2022 after two seasons as the ‘Washington Football Team.’

Head coach Dan Quinn received backlash last year for wearing a shirt that referenced the former logo. Player alumni and fans are fond of the former name, but the current front office and players have embraced the ‘Commanders’ moniker.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

George Clooney is keeping quiet after Hunter Biden unleashed a string of vulgar attacks on the Hollywood actor.

Hunter, 55, accused Clooney, 64, of turning on his father, former President Joe Biden, and helping lead the charge to push him out of the 2024 race. 

‘I love George Clooney’s movies, but I don’t really give a s— what he thinks about who should be the nominee for the Democratic Party,’ Hunter said on the ‘At Our Table’ podcast. 

‘I was about to say I really like George Clooney as an actor, but the truth of the matter is, the truth is, I’ll be honest, I really don’t like George Clooney as an actor or as a person.’

Hunter recalled tensions between Clooney and his father behind the scenes at an event prior to the election.

‘George Clooney, before that event … literally threatened to pull out of the event — how many times? Five, six times? Over and over again, saying that he was so upset because my dad refused to recognize the arrest warrant for Netanyahu,’ Hunter said as he referred to the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hunter claimed Clooney’s behavior at the event was distant and alleged the actor only stayed for five minutes, spoke to no one except Barack Obama and ignored the rest of the crowd.

‘Literally, I was whispering in [Biden’s] ear saying, ‘Dad, f— him.’ … You got to be kidding me because I was so mad,’ Hunter added. ‘And he claims in his arrogance that my dad, the president of the United States, didn’t know who the actor was.’

Reps for Clooney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Clooney has yet to comment publicly on Hunter’s comments, even as the president’s son continues his media blitz.

In a separate appearance with Andrew Callaghan on his ‘Channel 5’ podcast over the weekend, Hunter’s criticism of Clooney escalated into a full-blown, hourslong meltdown accusing the ‘Ocean’s 11’ star of sabotaging his father’s re-election effort.

Hunter said the alleged move was made with ‘the blessing’ of former President Obama and his cohorts.

‘F— him! F— him and f— everybody around him,’ Hunter said bluntly. ‘I don’t have to be f—ing nice. No. 1, I agree with Quentin Tarantino. George Clooney is not a f—ing actor. He is a f—ing, I don’t know what he is. He’s a brand.’

The former president’s son’s rage emerged as they discussed Clooney’s infamous New York Times op-ed, which was published days after his father’s widely criticized debate performance. 

Clooney called for Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee at the time. 

‘It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe ‘big f—ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020,’ Clooney wrote. ‘He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.’

Clooney’s statement appeared to trigger a furious response from Hunter, who blasted the actor for spreading what he called false claims about his father’s mental health. 

‘Why do I have to f—ing listen to you?’ Hunter asked during the podcast. ‘What do you have to do with f—ing anything?… What right do you have to step on a man who’s given 52 years of his f—ing life to the service of this country and decide that you, George Clooney, are going to take out basically a full-page ad in the f—ing New York Times to undermine the president?’

Biden withdrew from the race July 21, 2024, and was replaced on the Democratic ticket by Kamala Harris.

Hunter also noted Clooney was friends with former President Obama and only published his essay with the ‘blessing of the Obama team.’ 

‘You know what George Clooney did? Because he sat down with, I guess, because he was given a blessing by the Obama team, the Obama people and whoever else,’ he said. 

In April, Clooney spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper about writing the op-ed, saying it was his ‘civic duty.’

‘It was a civic duty because I found that people on my side of the street — you know, I’m a Democrat in Kentucky, so I get it. When I saw people on my side of the street not telling the truth, I thought that was time to … some people [are mad], sure. That’s OK, you know. Listen, the idea of freedom of speech is you can’t demand freedom of speech and then say, ‘But don’t say bad things about me,‘’ Clooney said.

While on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ in February, Clooney spoke about Harris losing to Donald Trump in the presidential election. 

‘I was raised a Democrat in Kentucky … and you know I’ve lost a lot of elections. … You know, this is democracy and this is how it works,’ he said.

‘It didn’t work out. That’s what happens. It’s part of democracy. … And, you know, there’s people that agree and people who disagree, and most of us still like each other. We’re all gonna get through it.’

Clooney spoke about President Trump again in April during an interview with Patti LuPone for Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors: Broadway.’

‘He’s charismatic. There’s no taking that away from him. He’s a television star. But eventually we’ll find our better angels. We have every other time,’ he said.

‘If you’re a Democrat, we have to find some people to represent us better, who have a sense of humor and who have a sense of purpose. I think we’ll get the House back in a year and a half, and I think that’ll be a check and balance on power.’

Earlier this year, Clooney was thrust into the spotlight as questions about his family’s future in the U.S. under President Trump’s administration arose.

Clooney’s wife, Amal, is an international human rights lawyer born in Lebanon and raised in the U.K., and she holds legal credentials in both Britain and the United States. 

Amal reportedly gave legal advice in a war crimes case against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the war in Gaza, according to the Financial Times.

A Trump executive order claimed the court ‘engaged in illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel. The ICC has, without a legitimate basis, asserted jurisdiction over and opened preliminary investigations concerning personnel of the United States and certain of its allies, including Israel, and has further abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.

‘The United States will impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions, some of which may include the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, as well as their immediate family members.’ 

Clooney proposed to Amal in April 2014, and the couple married five months later in Venice, Italy. In 2017, the Clooneys welcomed twins Alexander and Ella.  

Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

In a damning new report, researchers reveal how China came to control over 80% of the critical raw battery materials needed for defense technology — posing an urgent national security threat.

Through lax permitting processes, weak environmental standards, and aggressive state-led interventions, China has come to dominate global supplies of graphite, cobalt, manganese, and the battery anode and cathode materials that power advanced defense systems.

‘Batteries will be one of the bullets of future wars,’ the report’s authors warn, citing their essential role in drones, handheld radios, autonomous submersibles, and emerging capabilities like lasers and directed energy weapons.

According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has weaponized global battery infrastructure through a combination of state subsidies, forced intellectual property transfers, and predatory pricing practices.

China didn’t just rely on low-cost tactics — it also used its financial muscle abroad. Over the past two decades, at least 26 state-backed banks have pumped roughly $57 billion into mining and processing projects in Africa, Latin America, and beyond. These investments, often structured through joint ventures and special-purpose vehicles, gave Chinese firms controlling stakes in mineral mining, the report said. 

Through its Belt and Road Initiative, China has leveraged influence in resource-rich developing nations, securing control over massive critical mineral deposits. Today, it processes approximately 65% of the world’s lithium, 85% of graphite, 70% of cathodes, 85% of anodes, and a staggering 97% of anode active materials.

Beyond powering drones, handheld radios, and electric vehicles, lithium is critical in strategic military systems: lithium-ion batteries are used in grid support for bases and emerging directed-energy weapons.

Moreover, Beijing has begun weaponizing export controls: since 2023, it has tightened restrictions on processed graphite, gallium, and germanium — later adding antimony, tungsten, and rare earths to the roster. These measures curb exports via a licensing regime and broad bans on exports to the U.S., signaling a clear geopolitical leverage too, according to the report. 

Both lithium and graphite are essential for modern nuclear weapons. Cobalt alloys are used in jet engines, naval turbines, electronics connectors, and sensors capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, vibration, and radiation-making. 

While American and allied reserves of lithium — both brine and hard rock — are being tapped, with new projects in North and South Carolina targeting domestic spodumene processing, the report claims U.S. mineral mining and refining are not advancing quickly enough to meet national security demands.

Permitting obstacles account for roughly 40% of all delays in mining projects, the report notes, with processing operations facing similarly cumbersome constraints.

Chinese subsidies ‘dwarf’ those available to U.S. firms, and include tax exemptions, direct manufacturing grants, and ultra-low-interest loans, the report said. 

U.S. firms are now accelerating investment in domestic alternatives to China’s lithium. With new Trump administration initiatives aimed at incentivizing critical mineral development—and forecasts projecting the U.S. lithium market to grow by roughly 500% over the next five years — American companies are beginning to build out processing capacity on home soil. 

Piedmont Lithium is developing a lithium hydroxide facility in North Carolina to process spodumene concentrate from its U.S. deposits, while Albemarle recently announced plans for a new lithium processing plant in Chester County, South Carolina. Both projects are designed to feed a fast-growing domestic battery ecosystem and reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains.

But to become globally competitive, the report argues, the U.S. must take a far more proactive approach, including incentivizing private-sector investment, streamlining federal permitting, establishing a national critical minerals stockpile, building technical talent pipelines, creating special economic zones, and developing robust domestic processing infrastructure.

The authors also stress the importance of ally-shoring, recommending diplomatic coordination with trusted partners — similar to prior U.S. efforts involving Ukraine, Greenland, and the DRC in rare-earth sourcing — to construct resilient supply chains beyond China’s reach.

‘Despite China’s control of the battery supply chain, this is a time of great vulnerability for Beijing, while the United States and its core allies remain strong,’ the report concludes. 

‘It is time for new guardrails, muscular statecraft, and a unified international response to non-market manipulation. Building critical supply chains that are independent of China’s coercive economic practices can help unleash a wave of cooperation among free-market nations that will lift up both established allies and emerging market partners and turn the tide against China’s parasitic economic model.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Major League Soccer’s All-Stars beat Liga MX in the 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge on Tuesday, July 22 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

Los Angeles FC’s Denis Bouanga hit both shots from Zone 1, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Yohei Takoaka hit the game-winner in the crossbar challenge to secure the 4-2 victory in the skills exhibition.

“I feel great. It’s such an honor to be here, and I’m really happy,” Takoaka said after the win.

The MLS All-Stars hope to pull off the double victory against Liga MX during the All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 23.

Former U.S. men’s national team star Clint Dempsey and current U.S. women’s national team captain Lindsey Heaps also helped MLS secure the victory, while popular YouTube personality and streamer Speed brought attention to the event by participating.

“Austin has definitely showed up and showed up,” Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver said after the event.

Check out these highlights from the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge:

Watch 2025 MLS All-Star

MLS beats Liga MX in 2025 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge

LAFC’s Denis Bounaga hit both shots from Zone 1, and Vancouver FC goalkeeper Yohei Takoaka hit the game-winner to help the MLS All-Stars beat the Liga MX All-Stars in the skills challenge.

“I feel great. It’s such an honor to be here, and I’m really happy,” Takoaka said after the win.

Clint Dempsey, Evander helps MLS beat Liga MX in Passing Challenge

USMNT legend Clint Dempsey beat Orie Peralta 4-3 in the first round, but struggled to hit the final spot hitting the post several times. Cincinnati’s Evander beat Rodrigo Dourado 5-4 in the second round to secure the point in the passing challenge.

Alejandro Zendejas (Club América) beat Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver FC) in the final round.

MLS leads Liga MX, 3-2, heading into the final portion of the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.

Who won the Goalie Wars final at MLS All-Star Challenge?

Pedro Cruz (Houston Dynamo II) beat Carlos Mercado (Orlando City B) 4-3 in the Goalie Wars final.

MLS and Liga MX draw in Cross & Volley Challenge

Gilberto Mora, a 16-year-old for Club Tijuana and the Mexican national team in the Gold Cup final, scored 50 points to begin the Cross & Volley Challenge.

Austin FC goalie Brad Stuver gave the home fans something to cheer about by limiting Ángel Sepúlveda (Cruz Azul) to 15 points.

And LAFC’s Denis Bouanga scored 45 points to help MLS tie with Liga MX at 70 points.

Both teams earned a point in the challenge, and are tied 2-2 heading into the final stage – the passing challenge.

Liga MX teammates set record in touch challenge

Club América teammates Alejandro Zendejas and Brian Rodríguez set the All-Star touch challenge record with 120 points during their round.

Liga MX beat MLS 199-58 during the touch challenge to take the second point of the All-Star Challenge.

Evander sets new MLS All-Star shooting challenge record

Cincinnati’s Evander, a favorite alongside Lionel Messi to win MLS MVP this season, set the shooting challenge record with 72 points. He helped MLS beat Liga MX, 132-106, to take the first point of the All-Star Challenge.

Evander beat Hector Herrara’s previous record of 65 points, set in 2022.

CF Monterrey’s Sergio Canales scored 64 points during his round, before Evander set the new mark.

USWNT star shines in MLS Shooting challenge

Lindsey Heaps, of the U.S. women’s national team, scored 35 points during the shooting challenge.

How did iShowSpeed do in MLS All-Star challenge?

The streamer also known as Speed scored 25 points during the shooting challenge.

Goalie Wars kicks off the action

Pedro Cruz (Houston Dynamo II) will meet Carlos Mercado (Orlando City B) in the Goalie Wars final.

Cruz beat Adisa De Rosario (Toronto FC II) 5-2 in the first semifinal, while Mercado (Orlando City B) beat Eldin Jakupović (Chattanooga FC) 4-1 in the second match.

MLS All-Stars vs. Liga MX All-Star Skills Challenge rosters

(Italics indicate goalkeeper)

MLS All-Stars

Sebastian Berhalter – Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Denis Bouanga – LAFC
Anders Dreyer – San Diego FC
Evander – FC Cincinnati
Alex Freeman – Orlando City
Diego Luna – Real Salt Lake
Sam Surridge – Nashville SC
Brad Stuver – Austin FC
Yohei Takoaka – Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Obed Vargas – Seattle Sounders
Clint Dempsey – MLS great
Lindsey Heaps – USWNT Star

Liga MX All-Stars

Juan Brunetta – Tigres UANL
Sergio Canales – CF Monterrey
Rodrigo Dourado – Atlético San Luis
Luis Malagón – Club América
Kevin Mier – Cruz Azul
Paulinho – Toluca
Brian Rodríguez – Club América
James Rodríguez – Club León
Alexis Vega – Toluca
Alejandro Zendejas – Club América
Nicki Hernández – Liga MX Femenil
Oribe Peralta – Liga MX Great

When is the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge?

When: Tuesday, July 22
Where: Q2 Stadium (Austin, Texas)
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Channel/streaming: Apple TV (Watch here)

MLS All-Star Skills Challenge events

Shooting Challenge
Touch Challenge
Cross & Volley Challenge
Crossbar Challenge
Passing Challenge
Goalie Wars

IShowSpeed will rep MLS in Skills Challenge

MLS announced that the YouTube personality and social media influencer will participate in the All-Star Skills Challenge.

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!

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After his 2024 season with Georgia prematurely ended due to an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury in the SEC championship game, the former Bulldogs quarterback declared for the NFL draft. But less than two weeks later, he decided to skip the pros and enter the transfer portal.

Despite an inconsistent season, Georgia wanted him back, and Alabama was also ready to nab him.

Instead, Beck opted to play with the Hurricanes, and he’s feeling comfortable with the pick.

‘This is my future, and I think that this decision is one of the better decisions I’ve made,’ Beck said at ACC Kickoff on Tuesday, July 22. ‘Just trying to develop those relationships and that camaraderie, it’s just reinforced my decision in a positive way.’

A two-year starter at Georgia, Beck started 27 games for the Bulldogs, throwing for 7,426 yards with 57 total touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Head coach Mario Cristobal said Beck has played in ‘monster’ games and played a high level that drew him to bringing the quarterback in.

‘Carson has as good of experience as a quarterback as you can have,’ Cristobal said.

Beck wasted little time in the transfer portal before deciding to play for Miami. He had a do not contact request and announced his commitment less than 48 hours after hitting the portal. He said the offensive fit is what drew him to Miami, along with offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and the talent surrounding the team, which has to replace several pieces from the 2024 squad that had the best total offense in the country.

Coincidentally, Beck is replacing Cam Ward, who threw for 4,313 yards last season − second-most in FBS − and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite the big shoes to fill and given his status in college football, Beck said he doesn’t feel much pressure replacing Ward. He mentioned it’s somewhat the same role he stepped in at Georgia.

‘Obviously his success is undeniable,’ he said. ‘The last school I was at, I followed up the two-time national champion, so I didn’t really feel any pressure there. It’s a game; I’ve played football my whole life. I’ve played quarterback since I was seven years old, and it’s something that I love to do and I’ve got a lot of good talent around me and really good coaches in position to not only help me not only achieve my goals, but be really successful.’

However, he’s given his teammates the same feeling as Ward. Offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa said his new quarterback is ‘a very special guy, just like Cam Ward last year.’

‘I feel the same energy with Carson Beck,’ Mauigoa added.

Carson Beck injury update: Miami QB at 100%

Beck described his spring was ‘a little slow’ as he recovered from injury. But Cristobal confirmed ‘he’s been cleared’ and has been participating in all team workouts for several weeks.

The quarterback said he spent much of the spring in a coaching role and helping out the other signal-callers on the roster. But now that he’s at 100%, the off-season has been ‘really good and full of good work.’

‘Really just looking forward to the opportunity, and again, have the opportunity to go out and play football again. I haven’t done it in a while, so looking forward to it,’ Beck said.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The Kansas City Royals turned to 45-year-old Rich Hill to start Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, making the left-handed pitcher the oldest player to appear in MLB this season.

Hill pitched five innings against the Cubs, allowing three runs — just one earned — striking out one batter and walking two. The Cubs went on to win the game, 6-0, with Hill taking the loss.

Hill was called up from the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers on Monday, July 21. The veteran left-handed pitcher last appeared in the majors late in the 2024 season, making four relief appearances in August and September for the Boston Red Sox.

Hill is one of just five players over 45 to play in the majors since 2010, and the first to do so since 2018. Hill also became the oldest player to ever play for the Royals, playing for his 14th MLB team. That ties Edwin Jackson’s record for the most teams played for by one player.

Here’s what to know about Rich Hill and the oldest active players in the majors:

Oldest active players in MLB

Rich Hill might be the oldest active player in Major League Baseball, but he’ll have to stick around for some time to break Satchel Paige’s incredible record. Paige was 59 years old when he made his final MLB appearance on Sept. 25, 1965, a record that might never be broken.

However, that’s not to take away from Hill and the other durable players across the majors who are still plugging away at the top of the sport. Here, per Baseball Reference, is a list of the 10 oldest active MLB players:

1. Rich Hill (Kansas City Royals) – 45 years, 133 days
2. Justin Verlander (San Francisco Giants) – 42 years, 152 days
3. Charlie Morton (Baltimore Orioles) – 41 years, 252 days
4. Max Scherzer (Toronto Blue Jays) – 40 years, 360 days
5. Justin Turner (Chicago Cubs) – 40 years, 241 days
6. Carlos Santana (Cleveland Guardians) – 39 years, 105 days
7. Chris Martin (Texas Rangers) – 39 years, 50 days
8t. Martín Maldonado (San Diego Padres) – 38 years, 340 days
8t. Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres) – 38 years, 340 days
10. Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates) – 38 years, 285 days

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It’s the reunion season of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.

First, the franchise traded for quarterback Geno Smith to reunite him with former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, now at the helm in Las Vegas. This week there’s another reunion but this time in the secondary.

The Raiders have signed safety Jamal Adams, the team announced Tuesday, July 22.

Adams played for Carroll in Seattle from 2020 to 2023. He made the Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro in 2020, the last time he earned those accolades.

Adams played five games in 2024: three with the Tennessee Titans and two with the Detroit Lions. The former No. 6 overall draft pick will turn 30 during the season.

This will be his fifth team in the NFL after stints the New York Jets, Seahawks, Titans and Lions.

He joins a secondary with a lot of new faces entering 2025. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is also working free-agent signees Eric Stokes at cornerback and Jeremy Chinn at safety into the fold. Las Vegas also spent a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on cornerback Darien Porter and he is expected to compete for a starting job.

Las Vegas’ veterans reported to training camp Tuesday. Adams won’t have to wait long to face a former team on the football field; the Raiders will play the Seahawks in their preseason opener on Thursday, Aug. 7.

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