FIFA announce star-studded World Cup Dream XI featuring Messi, Mbappé and Haaland/ Image: X
Spain may have lifted the 2026 FIFA World Cup trophy after defeating Argentina 1-0 following extra time in New Jersey, but the tournament’s best-performing players have now also been recognised after FIFA revealed its official Dream XI.The Team of the Tournament, selected through a global fan vote, reflects the standout performers from six weeks of football across the United States, Canada and Mexico. While Spain, France and Argentina dominate the selection after reaching the semi-finals, England’s third-place finish was rewarded with just a single representative.Jude Bellingham is the only England player to make FIFA’s Dream XI despite Thomas Tuchel’s side ending the tournament on a high with a remarkable 6-4 victory over France in the third-place play-off.
Bellingham flies England’s flag
Bellingham’s inclusion comes after another outstanding major tournament for the Real Madrid midfielder.The 23-year-old finished with seven goals, the highest tally ever recorded by an England player at a single FIFA World Cup, helping the Three Lions secure their best finish since winning the tournament in 1966.Despite England producing several standout performers, including Bukayo Saka’s historic hat-trick against France and Declan Rice’s record-breaking third-place play-off display, Bellingham was the only English player voted into the final XI.
Spain, France and Argentina dominate selections
Fresh from captaining Spain to their second World Cup title, Rodri headlines the midfield after also winning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.Spain have three representatives in total, with both full-backs Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro joining their captain in the side after Luis de la Fuente’s men completed an unbeaten tournament by defeating Argentina in the final.France also supply three players despite finishing fourth.Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappé occupies the right side of the attack after finishing the tournament with 10 goals, becoming the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice while also breaking Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record with 22 career goals.Michael Olise takes one of the midfield places after producing a record-breaking campaign of his own. The France playmaker finished the tournament with seven assists, the most ever recorded by a player at a single FIFA World Cup.Dayot Upamecano completes France’s contingent in central defence.Argentina, beaten finalists after Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute winner, have two players in the XI.Lionel Messi features on the left wing after finishing the tournament with eight goals and four assists, while defender Lisandro Martínez partners Upamecano at the heart of the defence.Completing the front three is Norway striker Erling Haaland, who marked his World Cup debut by firing his country to a historic first-ever quarter-final appearance while scoring seven goals during the tournament.
Cape Verde cult hero earns goalkeeper spot
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Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Dream XI is the goalkeeper selection.Rather than Golden Glove winner Unai Simón, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford or France’s Mike Maignan, fans voted for Cape Verde veteran Vozinha.The 40-year-old became one of the breakout stars of the tournament during Cape Verde’s memorable run to the Round of 32 before they narrowly lost 3-2 after extra time to eventual finalists Argentina.Vozinha kept clean sheets against both Spain and Saudi Arabia, made 18 saves across the tournament and outperformed his expected goals against figure by 0.9.His performances also made him an unlikely social media sensation. According to tournament figures, the goalkeeper began Cape Verde’s opening match against Spain with around 50,000 Instagram followers. After producing seven saves against the eventual champions and continuing his impressive campaign, that number reportedly surged to 29.5 million by the end of the World Cup.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Dream XI
GoalkeeperDefenders
Pedro Porro (Spain)
Lisandro Martínez (Argentina)
Dayot Upamecano (France)
Marc Cucurella (Spain)
Midfielders
Rodri (Spain)
Michael Olise (France)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Forwards
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Erling Haaland (Norway)
Kylian Mbappé (France)
The Dream XI rounds off the individual honours following the conclusion of the tournament.Rodri claimed the Golden Ball as the competition’s best player after leading Spain to the title, with Messi and Mbappé receiving the Silver Ball and Bronze Ball respectively.Mbappé finished as Golden Boot winner with 10 goals, edging Messi, who ended the tournament on eight goals and four assists, while Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón received the Golden Glove after conceding just one goal in eight matches. Teenage defender Pau Cubarsí collected the FIFA Young Player Award, and the Netherlands were recognised with the FIFA Fair Play Award after receiving just three yellow cards throughout their campaign.
BLAINE, Minn. — As a Minnesotan — me, the author of this article — I can assure you Scottie Scheffler has done all of the right things in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this week. He went downtown with his family and stopped at a local coffee shop on Monday (we’re big on stimulating the urban economy), signed every autograph after his practice round on Tuesday and complimented fans on Wednesday.
“A few people that recognized me were very nice,” Scheffler said on Wednesday, about his Monday adventure into Minneapolis. “They asked for photos. I was with my family so I said ‘No, not right now.’ They didn’t make a face, or they were kind of like, No, no, I totally understand, thanks for being here. I was kind of taken back by how nice people have been so far.”
Minnesota Nice. That’s another tagline here. But mostly people are just thrilled the World No. 1 is in town (skyrocketing year-over-year ticket sales prove it). And on Thursday, Scheffler’s arrival was well-attended.
He teed off at 7:29 a.m. local and had a large gallery from the start. It only swelled as his round continued. One security officer walking with the players flexed his seniority to land in the Scheffler threesome. The group’s walking standard bearer was popular, too — everyone wanted a picture next to the sign with Scheffler’s name on it. By the time Scheffler got to the par-4 9th — his 18th hole of the day — the fans horse-shoeing around the green rivaled what the tournament might see for the final pairing on the final hole come Sunday. (Although Scheffler might very well be in that too.)
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The scene on 9 (Scottie Scheffler’s last hole) at noon Thursday at the 3M Open.
Scheffler gave them plenty to cheer about. He made six birdies and didn’t make a bogey en route to a six-under 65, which was good for the clubhouse lead soon after he finished. (Ben Kohles shot 62 in the afternoon to take the first-round lead.)
“It was a lot of fun,” Scheffler said. “It was a really good crowd this morning, especially for an early tee time. It’s always fun getting to play in front of so many people. The crowd support for all three of us in the group today was really nice.”
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In his pre-tournament press conference at TPC Twin Cities on Wednesday, Scheffler talked about the “ebbs and flows” of putting and the importance of start line and the unpredictability of links greens, where a balky putter slowed him at last week’s Open Championship, where he still managed to finish 4th.
On Thursday, his luck turned. Scheffler finished first in Strokes Gained: Putting and made more than 130 feet of putts.
“Golf’s funny — some days you’re hitting your lines and the line seems to be tracking toward the hole and other days it feels like you’re doing the same thing and it kind of goes around the hole,” Scheffler said after his round. “But today was a day in which I was able to hole some nice putts, and that’s why I was able to make some birdies out there.”
Starting on the back nine, he missed a 7-footer for birdie on 10 but didn’t miss another from that range all round. He birdied both par-5s in his first nine and birdied three of his last six coming in, one of which was a 28-footer on the par-3 4th hole.
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Scheffler’s 65 comes after just two days (and 18 holes) of prep on a course he’d never seen before. He hit 10 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. But the winner here always goes low; he’ll have to keep it up. He had fresh greens on Thursday but has a late tee time on Friday (1:44 p.m. ET).
“I didn’t hit a bunch of fairways early, but I was able to kind of manage my way around and get out of some trouble areas without making any bogeys,” Scheffler said. “That was important keeping my momentum going. Once I started to hit fairways and gave myself some looks, I was able to start making some birdies.”
Secure the Airport is a simulation and strategy game on Roblox in which you become an airport security guard and inspect boarding passengers for weapons and other suspicious items. During each run, you’ll encounter dangerous criminals and smugglers that can only be suppressed using powerful guns obtained by unlocking and equipping various Classes. Moreover, each Class also increases your Hit Points, helping you survive longer in every run.
In this guide, we will segregate all the currently obtainable Classes into S, A, B, and C tiers.
Tier list for Classes in Secure the Airport
Classes shop in Secure the Airport (Image via Roblox)
S-tier
The Classes included under the S-tier will grant you one of the best weapons in the game along with high Hit Points. Using them, you can survive longest during each run.
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Spetsnaz
Health: 400 HP
Cost: $25,000
Primary weapon: AS VAL
Secondary weapon: Makarov
Juggernaut
Health: 800 HP
Cost: $35,000
Primary weapon: PKM
Secondary weapon: Makarov
A-tier
To progress from mid- to end-game and survive each run for a longer duration, you can invest in A-tier Classes that are affordable and grant you good weapons with decent Hit Points. Here’s a list of them all:
Hazmat
Health: 200 HP
Cost: $12,000
Primary weapon: ShAK-12
Secondary weapon: Desert Eagle
Army
Health: 250 HP
Cost: $15,000
Primary weapon: SCAR
Secondary weapon: Beretta M9
Special Forces
Health: 300 HP
Cost: $18,000
Primary weapon: M4A1 Special
Secondary weapon: Desert Eagle
B-tier
B-tier Classes will help you dominate the mid-game progression and learn the weapon mechanics faster. Here’s a list of them all:
SWAT Elite
Health: 175 HP
Cost: $9,000
Primary weapon: Vector CRB
Secondary weapon: Glock 17
SWAT
Health: 150 HP
Cost: $6,000
Primary weapon: MP5
Secondary weapon: Glock 17
C-tier
The C-tier Classes will help you learn the game mechanics with basic weapons and stats. Here’s a list of them all:
Rookie
Officer Senior
Officer Elite
FAQs on Classes in Secure the Airport
What are Classes in Secure the Airport?
Classes are special loadouts that provide you with different weapons and Hit Points. You can unlock and equip them to improve your survivability and combat abilities during runs.
Which is the best Class in Secure the Airport?
Juggernaut is considered one of the best Classes in Secure the Airport. It provides 800 HP and comes equipped with the PKM as its primary weapon, making it highly effective for surviving longer runs.
What is the best Class for beginners?
Rookie is the best option for beginners since it is the default starter Class. It provides 100 HP and comes with the MP7A1 and 0.357 Magnum, allowing new players to learn the game’s mechanics without spending money.
Bryson DeChambeau, following Thursday’s first round of LIV Golf’s U.K. event, spoke to assembled media for the first time since his controversial Open Championship penalty — and touched briefly on the hoopla surrounding his much-scrutinized tie for 14th at Royal Birkdale.
DeChambeau opened with a round of eight-under par at JCB Country Club, the second-best score of the day. Afterward, he spoke to reporters for the first time since before the Open, where he’d declined to provide media availability.
In this session, DeChambeau reflected on his round — he birdied his first three holes, persevered through two bogeys and “played great today,” he said — before reflecting on the previous week’s events.
Specifically, DeChambeau was asked about his fight back from “adversity,” a reference to being assessed a two-stroke penalty for improving conditions around his ball on the fifth hole Friday. DeChambeau vehemently disagreed with the ruling in a televised back-and-forth with rules officials that captivated viewers, delayed the tournament’s schedulers, dropped DeChambeau from second place and yielded a flurry of takes from across the sports world.
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So what did he take from the week?
“Yeah, I made the cut,” DeChambeau said with a smile, a reference to his three surprising MCs in the year’s previous majors, which made this trip to contention his year’s crowning achievement. “No, it was a good fight. I wish I would have given it more on Saturday and Sunday. Felt like I could have. Besides the 5th hole and being three-over on that hole and then the 11th hole, that’s six shots. That’s tied for the lead right there. That’s two holes and I’m right there with the Claret Jug.”
Following the two-stroke penalty assessement, DeChambeau wound up with a triple-bogey 7 on No. 5 on Friday. He lost a ball on No. 11 during Sunday’s final round en route to another triple bogey and shot two-over 72; that ultimately left him six shots off the pace of winner Ryan Fox.
The only man ahead of DeChambeau through one round at this LIV event is Lucas Herbert, who was also in the final groups on the weekend at the Open and wound up T6. Asked if this showdown is coming “a week late,” DeChambeau got philosophical.
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“Look, golf is golf, right?” he said. “I wish [Lucas and I] could have gone to battle last week. It wasn’t that way. But life goes on. There’s moments of adversity in everybody’s life, and I was passionate about what I believed and thought was right. For me, it’s now in a place that it is what it is, and you keep moving through it. You keep moving past it.”
OK, so DeChambeau didn’t get particularly specific on the subject. There’s plenty more we’d love to hear from him at some point, like what he thinks of the ruling now, how close he was to pulling out of the event, whether he considered enlisting the help of the President, what he made of the fierce and varied reactions to the penalty, from Sam Burns to Max Homa to Brandel Chamblee to Scottie Scheffler to Rory McIlroy and more.
DeChambeau also didn’t address the subtext surrounding this week’s LIV event, which occurs as funding questions swirl around this season’s remaining events as well as the league’s fundraising efforts to continue next season. Earlier this week, the Asian Tour announced it was exiting its deal with LIV in favor of a deal with the DP World and PGA Tours, which was a blow to LIV’s broader ecosystem. There are also questions about its upcoming schedule following the withdrawal of Saudi funding; Cleeks captain Martin Kaymer was among the players who said they expect the $40-million 2026 team finale planned for Michigan in August to be canceled.
CEO Scott O’Neil has told captains to stay optimistic about potential investors for “LIV 2.0” next season; they’re expected to hear more in the coming weeks as LIV returns to the United States. The league’s next event is at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey.
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In the meantime, DeChambeau is focused on the golf in his immediate future.
“For me, I’m excited with Lucas tomorrow. That’ll be great,” he said. “But there’s three more days. We’re here to win this tournament this week. The Crushers are, and I am, as well. Individually and for the team.”
Luke Littler’s World Matchplay title defence continued with a straightforward 16-7 quarter-final win over Josh Rock in Blackpool.
Rock initially kept pace with the world number one as the players traded breaks to reach 5-5.
But after 19-year-old Littler reeled off five legs in a row, there proved to be no way back for Rock as the defending champion, in dazzling form, cruised into the semi-finals.
After throwing 17 180s with a scoring average of 109.57, Littler said: “At the minute, everything’s going to plan.”
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The teenager added: “I feel good. I can afford to miss a few doubles because the scoring’s there.
“Once again another brilliant performance, but fair play to Josh, he put up a good fight.”
Littler will play unseeded Dirk van Duijvenbode of the Netherlands in Saturday’s semi-final.
Earlier on Thursday evening, tournament outsider Van Duijvenbode survived a late surge by Gary Anderson to reach his first Matchplay semi-final.
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Anderson, the 2018 World Matchplay champion, threatened to close an eight-leg deficit with a fine late display including a 154 checkout, but Van Duijvenbode held on for a 16-13 win.
Reflecting on his second-round tie-break win over Michael van Gerwen, Van Duijvenbode had said that shaking “like a little child crying for his mum” allowed his compatriot back into match after leading 8-4.
After leading 8-4 again on Thursday, Van Duijvenbode dropped two consecutive legs but then stormed into a 14-6 lead by winning the next six without reply.
However, it would be a further nine legs until Van Duijvenbode won the tie as a resurgent Anderson pushed him hard.
Terence Crawford appears content with retirement and satisfied with the legendary career that he has had, but one welterweight world champion is hoping to convince ‘Bud’ to return, confident that he could put an end to his undefeated record.
Crawford held the undisputed title at super-lightweight, welterweight and super-middleweight, with his win over Canelo Alvarez deemed to be one of the most impressive victories this side of the millennium.
Although, those divisions are now moving on, with the welterweight scene perceived to be one of the most competitive in the sport, home to the likes of Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Conor Benn and Manny Pacquiao.
“I think that is a good fight. I think, of course, Ryan has got the experience, but I think that Conor has got the size and the power. I think that it’s going to be an interesting fight moving forward.
“I’m going to go with Conor, I think that he is going to upset him.”
In response, Garcia has now hit back at Crawford, declaring that his achievements are overrated and that he retired too early, without facing his true rivals, in an interview with Ariel Helwani.
“Terence Crawford is a hater, bro. At the end of the day, I don’t know why he is hating on me.
“Obviously he is biased because he don’t like me, ‘oh, he [Benn] is strong and he is this and that,’. I don’t know why he don’t like me, [maybe] because I talk my s**t, but I have an opinion too – that he never fought anybody who was really young, talented and hungry.
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“He didn’t fight Vergil [Ortiz], he didn’t fight Boots [Ennis], he retired too early. Cool, you beat Canelo, but Canelo was already past his prime in a way.
“You can’t really run around saying that you did everything you could possibly have done when, guess what? You didn’t have many miles on you [when you retired].”
Garcia then went on to call for a showdown with ‘Bud’, believing that the Omaha-born switch-hitter has never shown that he possesses the skills to cause him any issues.
“I have always wanted to fight him. I still want to fight him. I want to get him out of retirement and beat him. I don’t see anything that [tells me] I can’t beat him.
“People want to hype it up but I don’t see anything that I would have a problem with. It would be a good fight but I know I’d beat him.”
Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Nic Scourton (11) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Nic Scourton left the field on a cart after suffering a right knee injury on Thursday.
According to reports, Scourton was informed he suffered a torn ACL after imaging and tests performed not long after he was hurt. NFL Network reported Scourton is seeking a second opinion.
Scourton, a second-round pick in 2025, appeared to know the severity of the injury immediately in an emotional scene on the field.
Scourton, 21, was in tears and shielded his face from cameras as the cart pulled away from the field. Before the cart departed, the entire team and head coach Dave Canales had a moment with him as practice was halted for the day.
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“They care about each other,” Canales said. “Whenever you’re in a group of people doing something hard together, it has a way of creating a special bond. Between all the workouts and going through a full season and an offseason and all that, it means something to the guys. I’m proud of that.”
In just his second season, Scourton was penciled in to start on the opposite side of Jaelan Phillips, acquired as a free agent in the offseason. As a rookie, Scourton appeared in 17 games (eight starts) and tallied 47 tackles (seven for loss), five sacks and a forced fumble.
Veteran Patrick Jones II and Princely Umanmielen, in his second season, could see game time in his absence.
“He has a super-high motor, has great energy,” Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said after practice of Scourton. “He’s fun to be around. He turns into that different competitor when he’s on the field. We feel that during practice. He has raised the level of [intensity at] practice many times. We don’t know anything yet (on the injury), but we’re just praying for him.”
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) will host its Lockdown pay-per-view at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago on Aug. 23.
Elayna Black, a Chicago native, vowed to be on the card for the show in which every match will be held inside a steel cage. Black told Fox News Digital she enjoyed being in those types of matches.
Elayna Black enters the ring at Slammiversary 2026.(TNA Wrestling)
“I definitely am going to be on that card,” Black said. “One way or another we will make that happen. I am definitely not going to be having TNA be in Chicago, my hometown, my city, and not be on the show. So, we definitely will make that happen. But I’m very excited. Every match on that show is going to be a steel cage match.
“If you’ve been a fan of me for a while, you know that’s my cup of tea. I love that. I grew up a fan of like hardcore wrestling. Jon Moxley was one of my favorite wrestlers. I love doing hardcore matches. I did a deathmatch right before I got signed. I did the WarGames match. That’s my cup of tea. I love that type of stuff.”
She made clear that Brookside needs to watch her back as the days keep getting closer to Lockdown. Brookside won the championship over Lei Ying Lee at Slammiversary.
“So, No. 1, steel cage match. No. 2 in Chicago. And No. 3, Xia Brookside has a target on her back,” Black told Fox News Digital. “That’s all I’m going to say. So, we’ll see. I have a little bit of extra motivation being on that show. If I got my friends and family there, I’m going to have a little more oomph in me that day.
Elayna Black plays to the crowd at Slammiversary 2026.(TNA Wrestling)
The French Football Federation on Thursday said it would unveil France’s new coach at a news conference on Tuesday, July 28. Football legend Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to replace Didier Deschamps as the national team’s new coach.
News broke that LeBron James would not be returning to the Los Angeles Lakers on June 30. Effectively, he became a free agent that second, which means the race to obtain his services has been going on for almost a month. Still, he hasn’t decided and nobody has any idea when he will.
In some ways, this is a good thing for the NBA. The league is still hanging around the top of the news cycle at a point in the calendar when typically everyone starts to shift their focus toward football. If this situation wasn’t lingering, the only NBA story anyone would be talking about would be the Kawhi Leonard investigation, which is actually a bigger deal than James’ free agency, as it has a major trade on hold. If the Raptors miss on Leonard, it will become a bigger loss than any of the teams that end up missing on James.
But LeBron is LeBron, and as long as he’s on the open market, he’s going to be the story. And the longer this story goes, the more some entities will be both hurt and helped by the attention. So that’s what we’re going to look at today. Who are the biggest winners and losers of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer taking this long to make up his mind?
As of this writing, north of $210 million has been wagered at Kalshi on James’ next team. At Polymarket, the number is just under $40 million and climbing. The longer this goes on, the more bets these markets will field. James’ procrastination is a cash cow.
I’m sure by now you know the Miami Heataccidentally posted a scheduled video for an introductory press conference on their YouTube channel. This is normal media business. Everyone has social posts and articles and videos prewritten or recorded for every realistic destination (as do those teams), so the button can be hit the instant that LeBron’s decision goes public to capitalize on that initial surge of traffic. These posts aren’t supposed to be published, of course. The Heat’s social media team made a mistake, and it swung the markets wildly.
Prior to that post, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the favorite to land James, having taken 38% of the bets at Kalshi, with the Heat next on the board at 36%. After the Heat’s post went viral, the wagers started rolling in as Miami surged to a 49% favorite while Cleveland dropped to 26%.
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Those splits have largely stayed the same, even after Miami called its post a mistake. Meanwhile, at the time of this writing, the Golden State Warriors, who were a 46% favorite to land James at the start of July, are also-ran material at this point, having accounted for just 17% of wagers.
By the way, these aren’t the only markets that are popping. You can also bet on which conference James will end up in (the East is currently an 82% favorite), the total value of his next contract, the date the announcement will be made, and even who or where the announcement will come from. James announcing it himself currently has 35% of the bets, with Klutch Sports Group (meaning agent Rich Paul) second at 28% and ESPN’s Shams Charania at 25%.
If you’re new to these prediction markets, this is your wake-up call. As we speak, there are millions, and in the case of James, hundreds of millions being wagered on everything from sports-related outcomes to wars, the stock market, the Grammys and Oscars, political elections and oil prices.
If it’s in the news, chances are you can bet on it. As such, the longer James’ free agency stays in the news, the more bets these markets will be fielding. So while most of us (I certainly count myself among this group) would probably appreciate it if this saga could just end already, the prediction market folks that are raking in all this wagered cash would love nothing more than for this to drag on as long as possible.
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Loser: NBA schedule makers
Everyone thought James would make a big announcement at Fanatics Fest in New York City last week amid his flurry of scheduled appearances. Instead, it was NBA commissioner Adam Silver who made waves when he went on stage and basically told James to hurry up already so the league could finish the 2026-27 schedule.
“I would like him to make his announcement already, so we can finish the schedule, because, as you might imagine, the teams are calling us, the networks are calling us, and everybody wants to lock in the schedule,” Silver said. “But [where LeBron plays] will influence how we set the schedule, how we set opening week, Christmas Day, etc. So I need him to make a decision.”
There have been rumors that James was ready to make his announcement last week, but was irritated by Silver trying to rush him and decided to hold off a bit longer.
Who knows if this is true, but Silver has a fair point about the schedule. The NBA is one year into a $76 billion TV deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon, and those networks split the biggest dates and games — particularly opening night, Christmas Day, and all the big national windows.
For example, James has played in 20 Christmas Day games, including 19 straight. Meaning, wherever he signs will immediately become a Christmas team. Just that alone has a domino effect, and when you factor in the 25ish national-TV games James’ new team will certainly be cast in, and all the downstream effects of that scheduling in terms of how that changes other teams’ dates.
This is a big holdup for the NBA and its very expensive and increasingly antsy television partners.
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Winner: Rich Paul’s podcast
While James only made select appearances at Fanatics Fest over a two-day span during this saga, his agent, Rich Paul, has been front and center with his “Game Over” podcast becoming something of a buffet for the masses of fans (and media) starving for any crumb of information.
It started on July 3 when Paul unveiled the famous whiteboard, outlining the pros and cons and biggest players and selling points for each potential James suitor.
Game Over Podcast
Since then, Paul has been the main public voice for the James side and his podcast must be seeing massive spikes in audience. He hasn’t really said much other than that James is “not going to be rushed” and is going to do what is best for him and his family. But again, every little crumb of information — from “the 76ers have our attention” to “this will not be a money-based decision” — is being gobbled up like a Michelin-rated meal. And in this case, Paul’s podcast is the restaurant.
Loser: Cavs and/or Warriors
On some level, every team that strikes out on James is going to be a loser. But there are degrees to this. If the Heat don’t get him, for instance, they’ll be disappointed. They could really use his playmaking and shooting, but worst-case scenario, they still landed their big fish in Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. James would be icing on the cake.
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Same thing for the Philadelphia 76ers. They already made their summer splash by swapping out Paul George for Jaylen Brown, and Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons are nice margin signings. Wade will be a starter if James doesn’t come. And honestly, he’s a better defender than James and the 76ers already have arguably too much scoring. What Philly could really use is James’ passing to help navigate a supremely delicate usage ecosystem composed of four No. 1-option players.
The Minnesota Timberwolves need a power forward after the losses of Julius Randle and Naz Reid. And of the teams being reported as realistic suitors, they might give James his best chance at winning, given the two-way players, shooting, companion creation and defensive infrastructure already in place. But again, if they miss on James, they at least already made a big move this summer by trading for LaMelo Ball.
The Cavs and the Warriors, on the other hand, have all their eggs in the LeBron basket, and with it dragging on this long, their Plan B pool has all but dried up. The Cavs let the aforementioned Wade go to the 76ers in part to keep room open to sign the two Jameses — LeBron and Harden, who opted out of his $42.3 million contract for next season to also create room for LeBron.
It’s all tied together, and if James doesn’t come, the Cavs will be looking at guys like Jonathan Kuminga instead and could also end up having to pay Harden more than they’d like to (although he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go now that this has dragged out for so long).
Meanwhile, the Warriors haven’t added a single player besides their draft picks. When Draymond Green opted out, it was clearly a move aimed at freeing up mid-level money for James, and Golden State fans really began getting their hopes up when reports indicated the possibility of trading for Anthony Davis as the lure for James.
Now the Davis pursuit looks done, if it ever really even began in earnest, and James teaming up with Stephen Curry is back in the pipe-dream realm, at least if you believe the reporting. Warriors fans are going to revolt if another offseason rolls by without the team doing anything of significance as another year of Curry’s rapidly dwindling career fades away.
TORONTO — Max Scherzer knows where the baseball calendar is and the realities of where the Toronto Blue Jays sit in the standings, and he isn’t interested in going there. The veteran right-hander, coming off five hitless innings of rehab work at triple-A Buffalo, is trending toward a return from the injured list and if he can hit the ground running, there’s sure to be interest from clubs seeking depth and experience for their pitching staffs.
In possession of full no-trade protection, however, Scherzer holds final say over his fate in the coming months. So, given the situation, would he consider a move should the Blue Jays get an offer for his services? What does he want for the rest of the year?
“There’s nothing for me to say,” he replied. “We have a job to do. We need to win baseball games. We’ve got to go one-and-oh today. When whatever happens, happens, we’ll talk about that at a different time. We have a job to do, go one-and-oh.”
Powered by seven strong innings from another potential trade candidate, Shane Bieber, the Blue Jays went one-and-oh Thursday, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to avoid a four-game sweep against the American League East leaders.
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By recent standards, the three runs felt like a breakout, as Ernie Clement cleverly scored in the first on Alejandro Kirk’s infield single after Junior Caminero overran the ball at third base, while the go-ahead run crossed on George Springer’s RBI single in the third and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added some insurance with an RBI single in the seventh.
But, the heavy lifting fell to Bieber and relievers Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland as the Blue Jays (47-56) ended a four-game losing streak that pushed them further toward sell mode ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
On the heels of his six shutout innings in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox, the last time the Blue Jays won a game, Bieber’s three-hit, one-run, no-walk, three-strikeout effort should help raise interest in the pending free-agent righty, who doesn’t have any no-trade protection.
One rival evaluator said each outing between now and the deadline will really matter for Bieber as teams try to assess where he’s at after he missed half the season with elbow inflammation and has been building up on the fly in the majors. A second evaluator said as long as Bieber shows that he’s healthy, there will be a market for him because post-season calibre starters are difficult to acquire at the deadline, and he showed his mettle returning from Tommy John surgery in last year’s playoffs.
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The Blue Jays don’t feel the need to make deals for the sake of making them, so they’ll demand a certain talent threshold to complete any subtraction trade. So how teams view what Bieber — and their other players on expiring contracts — can offer will determine how deep any potential sell-off ends up going.
As that drama plays out, manager John Schneider and the coaching staff remain fixated on helping their players turn the team’s fortunes, regardless of what the playoff odds say.
To that end, they’ve looked to the way the Boston Red Sox, whom they visit Friday, escaped from the grave to win 15 straight and return to relevance. Last season, the Cincinnati Reds’ playoff odds stood at 6.6 per cent Aug. 7 and were at 1.3 per cent on Sept. 4 before they rallied to win a wild-card spot. The Cleveland Guardians were at 12.2 per cent last July 31 and 2.5 per cent on Sept. 1 before they rallied.
In 2024, the Detroit Tigers’ playoff odds stood at 0.3 per cent on Aug. 1, each an example for the Blue Jays to latch onto.
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“For sure,” said Schneider. “Just yesterday we were sitting here talking, OK, if you say it’s July 23rd and you’re six-and-a-half out of first place in the division, you’re like, that’s attainable. I know it looks a little bit different now record-wise, and there are more teams involved, but yeah, you look at that, you look at the Red Sox, you look at the 2021 Braves who didn’t get over .500 ‘til August 6th. You’re waiting for it to turn, and I think you’re grasping on players performing better that can perform better, and you’re grasping on ways to try to make that happen quick, or quicker.
“Baseball is stupid, we talk about it all the time, and it can turn on a dime,” he continued. “We all know that it has to turn now and are frustrated that it hasn’t, but there’s always hope until there’s not. That’s the beauty of it. And that’s what we’re talking about, just meeting that head on.”
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