Sports

7:00 AM ET Shane Wright remembers the first arm he was asked to autograph. “It was a forearm. I’ve signed a couple of them, actually,” he said. “Signing people’s skin has been a little weird for me.” Wright, 17, is a center for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. He’s also the consensus

7:00 AM ET NEW YORK — Three days into the MLB lockout, when New York Yankees fan Ray Sbarra checked Reddit for his baseball fix, he came up empty. So, with the lockout leaving the hot stove freezing cold and no end in sight, he decided to fill in the gap. “I just figured, let

10:26 AM ET MANCHESTER, England — It was a goal worthy of winning the Premier League title, even if it is only January and there are still four months of the season to play. But with Kevin De Bruyne‘s stunning 70th-minute goal sealing Manchester City‘s 1-0 win against Chelsea, the reality is that the title

7:50 AM ET On. Jan. 22, Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane will square off in the main event of UFC 270 (10 p.m. on ESPN+ PPV), with the heavyweight title on the line. That fight will shape the course of three fighters in the top 10 of ESPN’s MMA Rank, an effort to project which

Apr 8, 2021 Mark KriegelESPN Editor’s note: This story was originally published ahead of Joe Smith’s win over Maxim Vlasov. Joe Smith. A search on Boxrec.com reveals seven and a half pages — almost 200 professional fighters — who go, or have gone, by “Joe Smith.” The name itself is a generic suggestion: just a

10:19 AM GMT Sale Sharks have confirmed they have suspended one of their players after they were arrested on suspicion of rape. The player has since been released on bail. The player, who has played for England, was arrested on Sunday morning. “Sale Sharks have been made aware of an allegation against one of its

8:10 AM ET The PGA Tour remains in Hawaii this week for the first full-field event on the tour schedule in 2022. The Sony Open, which Kevin Na won a year ago, will be played at Waialae Country Club. The event begins Thursday, Jan. 13. With PGA Tour Live in 2022, you can follow all

5:01 AM ET Former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve will join Netherlands based outfit Team Hezeberg in a bid for a spot on the Daytona 500 starting grid, NASCAR said on Wednesday. The 50-year-old Canadian, winner of the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 F1 drivers crown, took part in preseason testing at the famed

3:45 PM ET Novak Djokovic, at least for the time being, has won his case against Australian authorities attempting to revoke the visa that would allow him to compete in the Australia Open, which begins Monday morning in Melbourne — Sunday evening for U.S. viewers. The moment Djokovic takes the court at Rod Laver Arena,

6:45 PM ET With the NBA trade deadline a month away, Ben Simmons‘ agent — Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — met with Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand on Wednesday, and the sides remain at a stalemate over the All-Star guard’s immediate future, sources told ESPN. Simmons

11:18 AM ET Safety Eric Weddle is coming out of retirement to sign with the Los Angeles Rams for the playoffs after the season-ending injury to Jordan Fuller. Weddle’s return to the Rams was announced by his agent, David Canter, on Wednesday. Fuller, the Rams’ defensive signal-caller, suffered an ankle injury that will require season-ending

7:07 PM ET Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams tore the ACL in his left knee in Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Doctors believe that, after surgery within the next 10 days, Williams will retain his sub 4.3 speed, and they expect a full recovery, the

7:00 AM ET The Jacob deGrom of 2021 was a synthesis of exceptional athleticism, acumen, competitiveness and analytics, and it stands to reason that what he was last summer — before he was sidelined with an elbow issue — was the best starting pitcher we will ever see. He accounted for 10 runs as a

10:09 AM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola will retire from competition at the end of the 2022 season to spend more time with his young family. Almirola revealed his plans Monday to the employees at Stewart-Haas Racing at the same time Smithfield Foods announced its 11th season sponsoring the driver.

9:23 AM ET The NHL went dark from Dec. 22-27, thanks to both its scheduled holiday break and a COVID-19 outbreak forcing the postponement of games. When the teams returned to the ice, they apparently decided to apply all the goals they saved up over the pause to their most recent games. From Dec. 28-Jan

9:05 AM ET Lorenzo Insigne will join Major League Soccer side Toronto FC. Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images Toronto FC will sign Lorenzo Insigne from Serie A side Napoli in the summer, the Major League Soccer club said on Saturday. Insigne has signed a four-year deal and will be added to the squad’s roster as

8:43 PM ET Associated Press ARCADIA, Calif. — Under the Stars won the $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes by three-quarters of a length Saturday at Santa Anita. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, Under the Stars ran seven furlongs in 1:22.51. Sent off as the 4-5 favorite in a field of six 3-year-old

5:05 PM GMT The 2025 Rugby League World Cup will take place in France, the French Rugby League federation confirmed on Friday. French prime minister Jean Castex will hold a full launch of the event on Jan. 11 in Paris. The tournament will be the 17th edition, and returns to France, where the first World

7:46 AM ET Michael Rothstein Close ESPN Staff Writer Previously covered University of Michigan for ESPN.com and AnnArbor.com Also covered Notre Dame for Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Ben Baby Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN Staff Writer Previously a college football writer for The Dallas Morning News University of North Texas graduate Predicting what could happen

7:49 AM ET Do you feel that? That, my friends, is the feeling of a brand new calendar year of MMA. A year in which anything seems possible. It’s time to dream big for 2022. We’ve got a fresh slate. The table is set for some incredible fights, breakthrough performances and stories that will go