Sports

7:00 AM ET Six first basemen have attained nine-figure contracts in their 30s, and the results haven’t necessarily been great. The megadeals for Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols became problems almost immediately. So did the one for Ryan Howard. Deals for Jason Giambi and Carlos Lee started off well but fizzled in the back halves.

Brenden Aaronson, Red Bull Salzburg. Injuries for Pulisic and Reyna opened a door for Aaronson at the national team level, and he has taken advantage. Only Adams has played more minutes for the U.S. in World Cup qualification, and he’s scored twice. He’s also produced strong form for Salzburg despite a finishing funk, scoring twice

7:49 AM ET PARIS — An Uber arrives for a pickup outside the MMA Factory gym in the Rungis neighborhood, near Orly Airport. It’s a brisk afternoon with a light rain, three days after Christmas. The city, a capital of arts from fashion to culinary, is relatively quiet. When the driver hears that his passenger

7:20 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Promoter Kalle Sauerland announced last week that Tony Yoka accepted an IBF heavyweight title eliminator with Filip Hrgovic, a rematch of the 2016 Olympic super heavyweight semifinal, but the fight is now in jeopardy due to a contract dispute. Yoka, an Olympic gold medalist, signed to fight Martin Bakole on

10:45 AM GMT Owen Farrell has retained his England captaincy for the 2022 Six Nations while George Ford, Elliot Day, Sam Underhill and Mako and Billy Vunipola miss out on the squad. Manu Tuilagi was also not named in the 36-man squad announced by coach Eddie Jones on Tuesday but he is expected to join

Jan 18, 2022 The PGA Tour begins its West Coast swing this week with three consecutive stops in California, followed by a quick trip to the mayhem that is the Waste Management Phoenix Open and then a return to California for Tiger Woods‘ event, the Genesis Invitational. While a few big names are absent —

7:00 AM ET In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, just across the river from the Canadian border, sits Sault Ste. Marie. That’s where Abby Roque grew up. “It’s a small community, but a big hockey town,” she said. “That’s the sport to play in the Sault.” Roque is a member of the Wahnapitae First Nation,

1:22 AM ET ESPN News Services MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael Nadal moved into the third round at the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win over 126th-ranked German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann on Wednesday. Nadal didn’t get it all his own way in an afternoon match on Rod Laver Arena, needing five match points and

4:17 PM ET The LA Clippers are extending Paul George‘s period of rest for the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow a few more weeks to see how it responds, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. George has not played since scoring 17 points in a win at the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 22.

4:43 PM ET Associated Press SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The New York Racing Association is planning to reconstruct the Wilson Chute at Saratoga Race Course, which will allow one-mile races to be run on the main dirt track during the summer meet. A chute is an extension of the backstretch or homestretch of a track

11:03 PM ET INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker was taken off the field on a stretcher after a violent collision late in the third quarter of Monday night’s NFC Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams. He was ruled out of the game with a concussion but did have movement and

5:04 PM ET Nebraska‘s quarterback room has completely transformed through the transfer portal since the end of the season, and it added another new name on Monday with former Florida State quarterback Chubba Purdy. Nebraska starter Adrian Martinez transferred to Kansas State after the end of the season. Martinez threw for 2,863 yards, 14 touchdowns

7:05 PM ET ESPN staff The rosters for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game were announced Thursday, captained by Auston Matthews (Atlantic), Alex Ovechkin (Metropolitan), Nathan MacKinnon (Central) and Connor McDavid (Pacific). There’s no shortage of star power — on the 10-man rosters and the “last man in” voting group for each division — but a

4:30 AM ET Manchester City have a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League and are comfortably on course to win a fourth title in five seasons. Pep Guardiola’s team, who face second-place Chelsea at the Etihad on Saturday, have become the most dominant side in English football since Manchester United won the

7:00 AM ET A lot of the credit for the Atlanta Braves’ postseason surge was rightly attributed to the midseason deals made by general manager Alex Anthopoulos, because without Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall and Joc Pederson, Atlanta would not have hosted a championship parade. But what may have been lost in that narrative

7:52 AM ET We’re days away from the first UFC fight card of 2022, and just over a week away from a UFC 270 pay-per-view featuring title fights on opposite ends of the spectrum — heavyweight and flyweight. The MMA world is cranking its way back into action, and a new year is filled with

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

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,

8:09 AM ET The first event of the year on the PGA Tour gave a possible hint of what is to come in 2022: Birdies. Lots and lots of birdies. But what else should we expect? Which players should we keep an eye out for? Which unknown might announce himself? And which recognizable face might