“I look at it very differently. I look at the fact that Australia in club competition rugby league is one of the great successes in world sport.

“But it’s reached a stage where Australia by its definition is a prisoner of its own geography, it’s a prisoner of its own economy.

“Its broadcast deal has just reached incredible levels of value, but where is the growth there?”

McManus said rugby league in Europe is the “antithesis” of what Australia has achieved with the sport but that change was possible.

“We’re a sport that hasn’t necessarily been run very well for too long, but there is incredible growth potential here,” he said.

“This is not a matter of picking at a carcass, taking over a weak sport.

“Both sides should be looking at this as how do we combine to make rugby league as a sport globally one that can really grow and strengthen.

“Certainly in terms of growth in Europe, it’s got unlimited potential, so how do we work together to exploit that?”

In a statement, Rhodri Jones, managing director of the Rugby Football League (RFL), said: “We are genuinely interested in exploring a mutually beneficial and financially fair partnership with the NRL, which we firmly believe would unlock the significant added value benefit of creating a single global entity for the sport.”

BBC Sport has contacted the NRL for comment.

The 64th season of the Bundesliga is here. The tiny team from Elversberg will become the 59th club to play in the league, Ismael Saibari is Harry Kane’s new back-up at Bayern Munich, Schalke return after three years away, and Kathleen Krüger is Head of Sport at Hamburg. 

Coming off an XXL World Cup and a new broadcasting deal in the US, the Bundesliga is looking to step forward into a new era. But beyond the loyal support of club fans both domestic and abroad, has the international appeal of the league, particulary in the key US market, worn off?

“It would be hard to argue that the Bundesliga has not suffered some back-sliding in their standing. When Bayern and Dortmund met in the Champions League final [in 2013], I believed it was just the league announcing its superiority with intent to stay at the pinnacle of club football in Europe. I couldn’t have imagined that might have been the brief apex,” Randall, a US-based Cologne fan who has been watching the league for 16 years, told DW.

“Frankly, the Bundesliga has likely already seen its popularity at its peak. It is only downward from here.”

Dominik Schreyer, a professor of sports economics at Germany’s Otto Beisheim School of Management, doesn’t believe that is the case though.

“I would be cautious about declaring the Bundesliga’s golden era over,” Schreyer told DW.

“The league still has full stadiums, strong clubs, excellent players and coaches, and a distinctive football culture.”

Schreyer does admit though, despite the league’s great reputation of player and coach development, failing to retain players like Erling Haaland or Florian Wirtz makes it more difficult to increase the reach of the league.

“Bayern’s prolonged dominance has reduced uncertainty at the top, while the Premier League has developed a major financial and distribution advantage. The problem is therefore not simply a lack of talent or stories, but the Bundesliga’s limited success in turning those strengths into regular international viewing habits.”

Club support strong, but league lacking luster

Robin Austermann, Bundesliga Americas executive vice president, said in the statement about the new Bundesliga broadcasting deal in the US that Bundesliga fans in America had grown by “43% over the past five years.”

This is obviously a positive, although it would be intriguing to know how much growth had been made per year. For some fans though, beyond supporting their team, the league is lacking.

“Honestly, for pure viewing I prefer the Premier League since in their league at least three or four teams can win the title,” Dave, a US-based Schalke fan since 1974, told DW.

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“There is no doubt that both the Bundesliga and the second division are the envy of other countries from the attendance and management perspectives but I feel that the overall competitive sporting quality has declined. I absolutely believe that the Bundesliga has lost some of it’s luster and reputation.”

Cologne fan Randall agrees.

“You get a little drama around the border between the last Champions League slot and Europa League, but that doesn’t really get the blood pumping how, does it? I still love watching the league, but I still have days on which I wonder if a Super League would really have been such a bad thing if it returned some competitive balance to the Bundesliga.”

How can the Bundesliga change its course?

Much of the desire for change has to do with the lack of competition at the top. Bayern have won 13 of the last 14 titles. Some believe a more equitable distribution of TV revenue is a possible way forward.

“The market has become more fragmented, abundant, and competitive,” Schreyer said. 

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“Availability no longer guarantees attention. Viewers increasingly encounter football through individual players, creators, highlights, short-form content, and major tournaments before deciding whether to watch full matches. The Bundesliga therefore needs a clear path from initial discovery to repeated viewing and, eventually, fandom.”

Whatever the choice, the change needs to be made without losing what sets the league apart, namely the competitive ticket prices and passionate fan base. German football fans offered a vision for football in the country back in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic, but the gap between the rich and the poor in European football continues to widen.

“I think throwing out what makes German club football great in pursuit of competing in the market with the Premier League would be folly,” Randall said.

Schreyer believes the major clubs and established stars are the strongest way to capture audiences’ attention.

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“Once viewers are engaged, the league’s wider strengths, including supporter culture, historic clubs, player development, Schalke’s return, and Elversberg’s rise, can deepen that interest,” he said.

This Bundesliga season a pivotal moment for the league

Clearly, the US view is only one slice of the Bundesliga’s market. Fan numbers doubled in Brazil between 2018 and 2024 to 24 million, and community initiatives through Bundesliga Common Ground have helped build interest in countries all over the world such as Thailand and Vietnam.

But the new deal in the US is perhaps revealing when it comes to the challenge the Bundesliga currently faces to position itself globally.

“A lot of fans were disappointed by the league’s move to go with Fandango this next season,” said Jody, who has been watching German football since 2006. 

“If the Bundesliga wants to grow in the US, they need to look at what NBC did when it won Premier League broadcast rights. It needs a more mainstream distribution in the US and more publicity of the league to draw new viewers in.”

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Schreyer argues that this is not the entire story. 

“The new deal should ultimately be judged by whether it helps rebuild demand, not by potential reach alone,” he said.

Criticism is something the Bundesliga has become familiar with in recent years. But off the back of a World Cup in the US, a key target country where a new broadcast deal was recently agreed, this feels like a pivotal moment for the league’s development.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

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The Cleveland Browns have named Deshaun Watson the starter for the team’s season opener at the Jaguars, beating out Shedeur Sanders for the starting role, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. It will be Watson’s first game since Oct. 10, 2024, when he tore his Achilles. He re-tore his Achilles in early January 2025, causing him to miss all of last year.

The decision comes just two days after Watson took several shots at Browns fans following his poor performance in preseason Week 2 against the Bills. Watson was just 5 of 12 passing for 35 yards and an interception, playing with (and against) backups in the third and fourth quarters while boos rained down.

“I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said. “It’s a little bit more personal than that. So, I think it’s a disrespectful thing.”

Browns coach Todd Monken insisted Sunday that the comments wouldn’t affect his quarterback choice, and they didn’t.

“Deshaun is going to start against Jacksonville,” Monken told reporters on Monday. “(I) took in the full body of work over the course of offseason to training camp to the games, the joint practice, and ultimately felt like to start the season on the road Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points — I mean that’s really what it’s about. I felt that way going into last game but wasn’t sure, and after we talked as a staff and after we relooked at everything, we’re gonna go that direction.”

Watson issued an opening-statement apology when he met with the media, shortly after the starting announcement had been made.

“First off, I want to address the comments from Saturday after the game,” Watson said. “I think just human nature, just myself being very emotional, putting a lot of time these last two years to get back and spend time in this facility, in the city, meeting a lot of people in the community, I thought I was gonna get a little different response.

“But I think my emotions got the best of me, and my comments wasn’t intending to go at any of the fans around in the city, because there’s been a lot of great fans that have been supporting me, and I know the frustration. This organization has put a lot of investment in coming to get me back in ’22, and things haven’t been going the right direction that we thought it was, you know, a lot of injuries, a lot of time off and not putting the best football and my foot forward. Again, I understand the frustration, I understand everything that kind of goes into that, and moving forward, I just want to focus on football, making sure that I’m putting the best product out there, having the best ability.”

Monken said he doesn’t anticipate the question of starting quarterback being a week-to-week issue, and while Watson won the job, the coach praised Sanders for closing the gap on the veteran through the preseason. 

“I think Shedeur has done a great job, come a long ways and we are excited about his future,” Monken said.

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Watson was regarded as a slight leader for much of the quarterback battle, often earning the first reps with the first team, even if the overall reps with the starters ended up somewhat evenly split. Watson started in preseason Week 1 alongside starters, while Sanders started in preseason Week 2 with mostly backups. Even so, Monken, in his first year as a head coach, said the competition played out in “the best way I thought we could go about it.”

Watson, who turns 31 the day after the Browns’ season opener, has been a monumental disappointment in Cleveland, and his acquisition has been regarded as one of the worst in major professional sports history. In 2022, the Browns traded 2022, 2023 and 2024 first-round picks, a third-round pick and two fourth-round picks to the Houston Texans for Watson and a sixth-round pick. The Browns then gave Watson an unprecedented, fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

At the time, Watson faced 22 civil lawsuits related to allegations of sexual misconduct at massage therapy sessions. The number eventually grew to 27. All 27 have been resolved, with at least 24 ending in confidential settlements. The last two were dismissed — at least one with a settlement — earlier this year. The Texans also previously reached confidential settlements with 30 women over claims regarding Watson.

Watson did not play at all in his final season in Houston (2021) and was suspended for the first 11 games of 2022 after being traded to Cleveland. In total, he has appeared in just 19 games since the trade, and he was among the NFL’s worst quarterbacks when on the field.

The Browns hope an improved supporting cast helps lift Watson. Cleveland overhauled its offensive line, bringing in four new starters, and drafted wide receiver KC Concepcion in the first round and wide receiver Denzel Boston in the second round. Both have impressed in training camp and are expected to start right away. The Browns also return tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and running back Quinshon Judkins after both had impressive rookie years.

This is the final year of Watson’s contract.

NFL preseason Week 2 winners and losers: Bo Nix shines in return, Deshaun Watson takes shot at Browns fans

Garrett Podell

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Why Deshaun Watson won Browns’ quarterback battle

As Monken said Saturday, the second preseason game was just another data point in a set of hundreds, ranging far past games and even practices. And as he said Sunday, Watson’s comments about the fans wouldn’t impact his decision. He appears to have held true to both.

Watson had been the front-runner, even if ever so slightly, for quite a bit, according to various reports. His chance to start in the first preseason game, alongside the starters, was an indication of that, even if Monken said both Watson and Sanders would each get a preseason start (something he held true to as well). For as poorly as Watson played Saturday, he held up decently — nothing special, but nothing disastrous — the previous week, and Monken described his return to playing football as “awesome.”

Watson’s experience and ability to function in the offense were also keys; after all, he has been in far more NFL offenses, including those with more parallels to Monken’s. Furthermore, Watson impressed this offseason with his approach and work ethic, per “NFL on CBS” sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala.

“In all the years I have been around Deshaun Watson, this is the best that he is mentally,” Kinkhabwala told 92.3 The Fan last week. “The space that he is in right now, his focus, the way that he stayed in Cleveland all summer, went to work quietly every day, didn’t ask anything of any of the staff in the building at all, was simply focused on living with his wife and working on football and his rehab. Just the conversations I have with him on the side — different.”

It is also worth noting, in light of Watson’s most recent comments, that the Browns’ first two games — Week 1 at the Jaguars and Week 2 at the Buccaneers — are on the road.

“I feel like I get more love on road games than I do home games,” Watson said. “If it is my spot and he does makes me the [starter], maybe it’s 17 away games then. I don’t know.”

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York was arrested in Ohio over the weekend for allegedly trying to pay a prostitute $140, according to police.

York was taken into custody Sunday in East Palestine, Ohio, and was initially charged with engaging in prostitution but prosecutors amended the charge to disorderly conduct.

He ended up pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools.

York’s arrest came after he answered an ad on a known prostitution website in Columbiana County and “arranged to have sexual activity with the female in exchange for $140.00,” The California Post reported.

He was released after posting a $5,000 bond and was sentenced to one day in jail for disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. York was credited with one day served when he pleaded no contest Monday morning and he was also fined $1,150.

Records showed that York had a cellphone returned to him and that $160 that was seized was to be given to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force as part of the plea agreement. York also completed on online course.

The 49ers and the NFL didn’t immediately comment on his arrest.

York, 46, took over day-to-day control of the 49ers from his parents in 2008 and he became the team’s principal owner in 2024. After some initial struggles under York’s leadership, the team has been a consistent contender since hiring coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch in 2017.

The Niners have made the Super Bowl three times under York’s leadership, losing in the 2012 season under coach Jim Harbaugh and the 2019 and ’23 seasons under Shanahan and Lynch.

York also oversaw the building of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The team moved from San Francisco to the new stadium in 2014. The stadium has hosted two Super Bowls, a World Cup and a College Football Playoff title game.

Despite everything that’s transpired over the past several years, Deshaun Watson will be the Browns’ starting quarterback to open the 2026 season.

Head coach Todd Monken addressed his decision to name Watson as QB1 in his Monday press conference, noting that the club feels Watson gives Cleveland its best chance to win over second-year QB Shedeur Sanders.

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“Deshaun is going to start against Jacksonville,” Monken said. “Took in the full body of work over the course of offseason to training camp, to the games, to joint practice. And ultimately felt like, to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points. I mean, that’s what it’s really about. Felt that way going into the last game, but wasn’t sure. And after we talked as a staff, and after we re-looked at everything, we’re going to go that direction.

“[W]e’re not anticipating this being a week-by-week thing,” Monken added. “Again, I think Shedeur has done a great job, come a long ways, and we’re excited about his future. But this is not a week-to-week decision.”

While Watson has been the apparent leader in the clubhouse throughout the offseason, the quarterback’s comments following his poor performance in Saturday’s preseason game may have changed the equation — particularly as Watson railed against fans booing him. But Monken said Watson’s words had no effect on his decision.

“I mean, ultimately, the fans want us to win,” Monken said. “Ultimately, put a good product on the field. That’s really what they want, OK? And so, that’s our job as coaches, why we’re hired, to try to put the best product on the field. And when we don’t, then I understand the frustration. But ultimately, they don’t decide who plays. I mean, who would I be if I let someone outside the building decide who plays?

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“I said it yesterday, he bleeds like we bleed — 22 months of working to get back, giving himself another opportunity for the Browns, OK? So that, I respect. And, sure, was he hurt? Yes. But I also said yesterday, OK, I don’t like being boo’d either. I don’t like when we jump offside three times at the end of the game. But we earn that. We earn our respect by how we play. We earn our fans, in terms of appreciation, by the product we put on the field. And that’s our job. So, on one side, I 100 percent understand where Deshaun is coming from. But, ultimately, we’re pros. We’ve got to put on a good product. And we’ve got to play. You’ve got to pull your big boy pants up and let’s go play.”

Monken noted he did speak with Watson about those postgame comments.

“I’ll keep most of what we talked about private,” Monken said. “But the conversation was, the way we make this go away is to play good football. We’ve got to own that. If you think I asked him, hey do you feel like you got that off your chest? Because you’ve got to feel like you got that off your chest. And now what do we do? Let’s move forward and work our rear end off at playing winning football. That’s it. And you guys will get a chance to talk to him. And, again, it was in the moment. We all have those moments. And we’re going to see moving forward.

“I have gotten no indication over the six months I’ve been here that he doesn’t have the ability to bounce back as a player, and compete his rear end off. I have no indication of that.”

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Though Monken emphasized throughout his press conference that he wanted Watson to start in part because the Browns are on the road, he noted he doesn’t anticipate having to change QBs anytime soon. But that is also dependent in part on performance.

“Every single week, we have to prove it. That’s what we do,” Monken said. “As pros, we have to prove it every week — it doesn’t matter what position.

“Ultimately, we expect him to play well, or we wouldn’t be starting him.”

Former Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose speaks to the audience during a ceremony retiring his #1 Chicago Bulls jersey at the United Center on January 24, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines–Derrick Rose made his return to the country this week, where he traveled to Cebu for the first time to take part in a two-day event.

The NBA legend will take part in activities on Tuesday and Wednesday for the trip dubbed “Rose Meets the Queen.”

“This is a new spot for me,” Rose said. “Coming here, finding out what the island is all about, see what the people are about so I can’t wait to enjoy all of it.”

READ: Derrick Rose: 2011 Manila stint ‘best All-Star Game I’ve played in’

It’s Rose’s fifth visit to the Philippines, the last three carrying the role of brand ambassador.

Rose will kick off his tour on Tuesday with a Champion’s Circle Appreciation Dinner, which is a private event with some of Cebu’s best players.

His only public appearance is set Wednesday at SM Seaside Cebu.

Rose retired in 2024 after a career highlighted by his celebrated stint with the hometown Chicago Bulls while also suiting up for the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.

He became the NBA’s youngest MVP in 2010-11 while playing for the Bulls.

Lewd and libidinous practices refer to any sexual crimes against children committed prior to 1 December 2010.

The offence was abolished in 2009, but is still used for crimes carried out before then.

During the trial, the court heard how Dott had “caressed” the girl’s bottom while giving her a piggyback and that, on another occasion, he had exposed himself to her.

On another occasion, she said Dott suggested she “take her trousers down” and lifted her top and began kissing her stomach after asking if she wanted to “play a guessing game”.

The girl, now a woman in her 40s, said Dott would kiss her, touch her inappropriately and carried out a sexual act that would, if committed now, amount to rape.

She said she recalled the “smell” of creams Dott used for a skin condition after he kissed her and that the actions left her “shocked and scared”.

Prabath Jayasuriya was dismissed on the final ball on Day 2 against India© AFP

High-profile current and former players – including a representative from a Fifa advisory body – believe that “change is necessary” in the governing body’s leadership as pressure builds on its president Gianni Infantino.

Mikael Silvestre, the former Manchester United defender who forms part of Fifa’s Players’ Voice Panel, published a statement calling for reform at the top of Fifa on his X account on Monday, writing above it: “Enough is enough!”

The identical message was shared on social media platforms by other high-profile players, including England’s double European champion Lucy Bronze and France’s 1998 World Cup-winning midfielder Emmanuel Petit.

Infantino is facing calls to resign from his Uefa counterpart Aleksander Ceferin following a controversial proposal to sell stakes in a company created to run the World Cup to private investors.

Players have now started contributing their voices to the ongoing debate. The widely-shared statement declared that players “share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world”.

It added: “Like them, we have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under Fifa’s current leadership.

“For too long we’ve seen major decisions taken without players being consulted or considered, and without any regard for the fans who sustain the sport.

“Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football.”

Silvestre’s intervention is notable as it effectively comes from inside the Fifa structure, with the Players’ Voice Panel operating as a 16-member committee established by the governing body to monitor and advise on anti-racism initiatives.

The statement continued: “Recent events have made silence impossible. Enough is enough.

“We call on all stakeholders to step forward and help reshape the future of our sport.”

Uefa president Ceferin has ruled himself out of standing against Infantino for the Fifa role, but told The Rest Is Politics podcast that the Swiss official has two options.

“One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support, and that’s not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches.

“And the second option that he goes to to the elections in March, but in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who.”

The current president of Concacaf, Victor Montagliani, has been highlighted by some commentators as a potential opposition candidate. Concacaf is the regional confederation representing member nations from North and Central America plus the Caribbean. Montagliani is also a Fifa vice-president.

Concacaf joined Uefa and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in opposing Infantino’s private investor proposal, with its presidents describing it as a “deception” in an open letter published earlier this month.

Infantino was present in the Caribbean over the weekend to attend a youth football tournament taking place in the Dominican Republic.