Asuka is currently away from WWE programming. Amid her absence from the squared circle, she has a significant reason to celebrate today.
The Empress of Tomorrow and Kairi Sane, collectively known as The Kabuki Warriors, were embroiled in a feud with IYO SKY on the Road to WrestleMania 42. Asuka and SKY were rumored to lock horns on The Show of Shows. Despite being insanely popular among fans, the duo was left off the mega event’s match card. After ‘Mania, WWE shockingly released Sane, impacting the storyline.
Thanks for the submission!
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At Backlash 2026, the 45-year-old legend and The Genius of the Sky finally got the chance to settle their differences in the ring. SKY bested Asuka in an 18-plus minute back-and-forth showdown in Tampa. Following the show, the duo mended fences, and The Empress of Tomorrow seemingly walked away from WWE.
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Asuka is celebrating her 45th birthday today. On the joyous occasion, the WWE icon shared a personal update on X. The Empress of Tomorrow revealed the gift she received from Bubblun Japan. The former Women’s Champion also visited Taito for a celebration.
“I received a birthday present 🎁 from Bubblun @bubblun_jp and Bobblun. Still, Bubblun and Bobblun were just too adorable, I swear 😍 And at @TAITO’s entrance, there was a super huge KING FOSSIL 😳💦 I’ll show you this scene later, so stay tuned,” she wrote.
You can view her post on X below.
We at Sportskeeda send our best wishes to the Japanese legend on the occasion of her 45th birthday.
Nattie Commented on Asuka’s Decision to Take a Break From WWE
In recent months, there have been contrary reports about Asuka’s future in WWE. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that the legend was “semi-retired.” Meanwhile, WrestleVotes suggested that the company would love to have the legend back on the active roster.
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In May, The Empress of Tomorrow revealed that she was still part of the sports entertainment juggernaut. On the Busted Open podcast, Nattie addressed the former Women’s Champion’s decision to take a break from TV. The Low-Key Legend seemed concerned about the veteran’s well-being.
“I felt like she also just had something weighing heavily on her heart. I don’t know exactly what it is. I’m a big believer, and I will say this now and I will stand by this, breaks are very healthy for people. Mental health and taking breaks, and I’m not saying it’s Asuka’s mental health; we don’t know exactly what’s going on, it could be a personal situation. I know Asuka’s very close to her family,” Nattie said.
It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for The Empress of Tomorrow in the world of pro wrestling.
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The stable of John O’Shea and Tom Charlton is anticipating the return of the promising colt Napoleonic to Melbourne.
Napoleonic, a three-time winner from twelve starts, has had only one previous outing in Melbourne, which resulted in a commanding 4-¼ length victory at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day last year.
That particular win had those involved with Napoleonic feeling optimistic about his future, and it also stands as the son of Wootton Bassett’s most recent success.
The entire is set to return to Melbourne this Sunday to take on the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, as the Moonee Valley track is unfortunately undergoing a rebuild.
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“We’re looking forward to getting him back down to Melbourne,” Charlton commented.
“He was demonstrably effective around the Valley as a three-year-old, and we feel he has the type of profile that can handle Caulfield well.
“We’ve been pleased with his condition. His first-up run in the Missile Stakes was, in our opinion, a very good performance.
“That race is expected to be a strong form race, and he’s had a bit of time since that run, but he appreciates that, and he had a nice, strong trial last week.”
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After campaigning in Brisbane during the winter, where Napoleonic finished third behind Rothfire and Spicy Martini in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000, the four-year-old colt has not raced since finishing second to Ninja at Randwick on August 8.
He did win a trial at Randwick on September 11, and the Manikato Stakes has been a long-term plan for the entire.
“He’s a horse that we’re trying to win a Group 1 with, and this was a good option for him,” Charlton stated.
“This has certainly been the plan since the Missile, anyway.”
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Charlton indicated that beyond Sunday’s Group 1 contest, there are no specific plans mapped out.
“We’ll get through Sunday, but there will be plenty of options in Sydney or back in Melbourne at the end of the Carnival,” Charlton added.
“We felt that his best form has probably come over 1200 metres, so we’re probably thinking he’s more of a sprinter.”
Compare the latest racing betting markets for the Manikato Stakes across various sports betting platforms.
Texas A&M fell from No. 9 in the most recent AP Top 25 to No. 23. LSU slid a few spots down to 10th after falling to Ole Miss, where Kiffin last coached.
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Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed struggled to keep the offense in gear against the Wildcats, throwing for 236 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 26-of-49 passing. Injuries to wide receivers Terry Bussey and Ashton Bethel-Roman put Reed in a predicament, although he’ll still have Mario Craver and Isaiah Horton.
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks for an open receiver during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)
The Tigers are undoubtedly seeking redemption following a 32-24 loss to the Rebels last week. LSU got off to a slow start, improving throughout the game but falling short at the end. The Tigers were outscored 24-7 in the first half, but won the second half 17-8. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt struggled with his efficiency, completing 16-of-27 passes for 158 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
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Here are the betting lines for A&M’s game against LSU.
The saga began with Alimkhanuly becoming the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger at 168lbs, despite testing positive for banned substance meldonium in November.
Back then, the IBF responded by stripping the Kazakh of his middleweight belt, while the WBO dished out a year-long suspension – only to then terminate it in July – and allow the undefeated 33-year-old to keep his world title.
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Not only that, but the organisation ordered Sheeraz to make a mandatory defence after Alimkhanuly decided to vacate his strap and join the super-middleweight division.
This then led to a purse bid hearing, with Queensberry Promotions placing a winning sum of just over $1 million and securing the right to stage their contest.
Yet despite being entitled to the lion’s share of a 75/25 split, Sheeraz decided to vacate the belt he had acquired by scoring a second-round finish over Alem Begic in May.
Speaking with IFL TV, Queensberry boss Warren expressed his frustration with the 27-year-old, who is believed to have at least one fight remaining on his current promotional contract.
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“I’m very disappointed about [Sheeraz] vacating his belt. Vacating the belt based upon what? There is no reason; there’s no rationale to that. You’re a champion – defend your belt.
“You won it against probably the easiest guy in the top 50. We manipulated and worked hard to get him in that position, and now he doesn’t want to [defend the title].
“I know who he listens to for his advice, and the fella who’s telling him all this stuff – what he knows about boxing you could write on a pin head.”
NEW DELHI: India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has backed Yashasvi Jaiswal to continue working hard and wait for his opportunities, insisting that the young opener’s limited chances in the ODI format should not be viewed as “unfair” treatment.Jaiswal played all three ODIs against Afghanistan at home but was left out of the squad for the subsequent tour of England. The left-hander has, however, returned to the 15-member squad for the three-match ODI series against the West Indies, which begins on Sunday.With Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill likely to remain India’s first-choice opening combination, Jaiswal could once again have to wait for a regular run in the 50-over format.
‘He should keep working hard and waiting’
Kotak acknowledged the intense competition for places but made it clear that India continue to value Jaiswal.“I think there is so much competition (for team spots) and so many players are performing. Jaiswal…we all know he is one of the best batters and whenever he gets an opportunity he performs. So he is part of the team,” Kotak told reporters on the eve of the first ODI.The batting coach said the support staff were continuing to work with Jaiswal on his game while pointing out that even outstanding players can find themselves waiting when competition for places is fierce.“As a support staff, we look after his skills, practise and his mindset and Gautam (Gambhir) also talks to him a lot, but sometimes you see, say if (for example) there are three very good wicketkeepers, only one can play,” Kotak said.“So, it is not that somebody has been unfair to him. He should keep working hard and waiting for the opportunity and so far whenever he has been getting the opportunity, he has performed,” he added.Jaiswal’s presence in the squad also comes as India begin shaping their plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, with Rohit and Virat Kohli still targeting the global showpiece.
Rohit, Kohli bringing ‘experience’ into World Cup build-up
Kotak believes the presence of senior players can be particularly valuable for youngsters such as Jaiswal as India gradually build towards the World Cup.“See, it is all about selling experience. They always do that. Whenever I have seen all the experienced players, even Gautam because he was playing, the level they have experienced, and when they see some player is going through a similar condition or situation, they always talk to them,” he said.“I think selling experience or selling whatever you have learnt is a great thing to do because it is getting knowledge or refreshing your knowledge as well.”Kotak said India’s planning would be conducted series by series, with the aim of exposing the squad to different conditions before the World Cup.“So from now on, our plan is to do (planning) series by series. Luckily, we have a New Zealand series where it is outside Asia. So, there will be some different conditions – moisture, grass, all will be different,” he said.“If we can successfully do that, within a year’s time we should be ready for any challenges, any different wickets or any different bowling attacks,” he added.
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Jadeja ‘very much in the mix’
Ravindra Jadeja’s return to the white-ball squad after an eight-month gap has also added experience to India’s World Cup planning. Kotak said the veteran all-rounder remains firmly in contention.“Jadeja is an outstanding bowler. We all know his records… Jadeja is one of the best fielders on a world level. The experience he has…I actually firmly believe that experience is something you cannot beat,” he said.“Like we see Rohit and Virat, we see Jadeja, they bring a lot to the team,” Kotak added.Kotak also confirmed that Gill is fit for Sunday’s opener after being hit on his right elbow by Mohammed Siraj during training.“Gill is looking good, I think he is good to go tomorrow,” he said.
Nigeria made a winning start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after coming from behind to defeat Madagascar 2-1 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday.
Madagascar took the lead in the 16th minute when Clément Couturier headed Ryan Ponti’s cross past the Nigerian defence to give the visitors a surprise advantage.
The Super Eagles responded with pressure as George Ilenikhena came close on several occasions. The young forward had an effort saved by goalkeeper Geordan Dupire before heading another chance over the bar.
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Nigeria eventually found the equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
Alex Iwobi picked out Ilenikhena inside the box, and the striker calmly placed his effort into the bottom-left corner to make it 1-1.
The Super Eagles returned for the second half looking for the winning goal, with Ademola Lookman and Calvin Bassey both coming close.
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Head coach Éric Chelle then made changes, bringing on Moses Usor for Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon for Akor Adams.
The substitutions quickly paid off.
In the 65th minute, Usor collected the ball from Semi Ajayi inside Nigeria’s half and embarked on a powerful run forward. The LASK winger beat two Madagascar players before cutting inside and firing a left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner.
The goal completed Nigeria’s comeback and marked an impressive competitive debut for Usor.
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Madagascar pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, forcing Nigeria to defend their advantage. Hakim Abdallah had an effort blocked as the visitors continued to search for a way back into the match.
Chelle later brought on Tolu Arokodare and Taiwo Awoniyi for Lookman and Ilenikhena as Nigeria held on for all three points.
The victory gives the Super Eagles a positive start in Group L of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
Nigeria will play their next qualifier against Guinea-Bissau on September 29.
The last time Clemson played in the Bay Area of California, Trevor Lawrence led the Tigers to a national championship on Jan. 7, 2019 to cap off a perfect season.
In 2026, Clemson returned when things are drastically much different − but it again left the Golden State a late-night winner.
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Dabo Swinney and company made the 2,200 mile trip out West for a game that kicked off at 10:30 p.m. ET back at home, and while it again wasn’t pretty, the Tigers held on in another defensive slugfest with a 24-10 victory over Cal on Friday, Sept. 25.
Now after the embarrassing season-opening loss to LSU, Clemson has won three straight games to be 3-1, and more importantly, 2-0 to start its ACC schedule. That’s now 16 straight seasons with at least a three-game win streak for the Tigers.
“We’re just finding a way to keep winning some games,” Swinney said on the ESPN broadcast.
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While it’s the bounce back you’d want following a rough start, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic and pessimistic if Clemson is actually turning things around to be a legit contender. Those reasons were fully on display all the way through 2 a.m. ET at California Memorial Stadium.
So, are Clemson and Swinney back?
Clemson Tigers running back Gideon Davidson (8) celebrates his one-yard touchdown run with teammate Olsen Patt-Henry (11) during the second quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium.
The Good: Defense
Another win in the Golden State was all thanks to the Clemson defense.
It was facing a prolific offense, with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele leading a Golden Bear passing attack that was averaging 32.7 yards in the air this season, 14th-best in FBS. Against the Tigers, there was no sight of that.
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Sagapolutele was rudely introduced to the defense with an interception on his second throw of the game. From that moment, it was a struggle bus as the left-handed gunslinger was kept in check all night. He was pressured immensely, but even when he did get time, he wasn’t making great decision or getting the ball where it needed to.
It forced Cal to try and generate offense on the ground, and it had some moments with Adam Mohammed. However, he hurt his leg on a tackle and the rest of the rushing group couldn’t pick it up in his absence.
And to cap it off, Sagapolutele’s last throw of the game was picked off to seal the win. He finished the night 16-for-29 for a career-low 119 yards and two interceptions.
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Cal’s lone touchdown came off a fumble recovery, meaning the Clemson defense has gone seven straight quarters without giving up a touchdown. The unit is starting to flex its muscle and make quarterback have nightmares.
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Make no mistake, the offense in this game wasn’t pretty. The Clemson defense has gotten better, but the offense has yet to figure it out.
It all starts with freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, who clearly still has a long ways to go to live up to the high potential he came into Clemson with. He had a real rough start by throwing an interception on the opening drive on bad decision from a trick play, and later in the first quarter, he coughed up the ball and Cal linebacker Kamar Mothudi ran it back 33 yards for the touchdown.
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He finished with just 108 passing yards, the fewest of the three games he’s played the majority of for Clemson. That’s not going to help a passing offense that entered the night 112th in the country with 172.3 yards per game.
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The Tigers did get three touchdowns, but one of them was thanks to a blazing punt return for a score from Bryant Wesco Jr. The first touchdown of the night was thanks to several Cal penalties keeping the Tigers offense on the drive, and with just under three minutes left, Clemson running back Gideon Davidson broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run for the dagger.
Plus, the red zone opportunities need to be converted. Clemson has been inside the opponent’s 20-yard line 11 times this season, and while its scored on 10 of those chances, only four have been touchdowns.
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Clemson about to get tested again
Whether you believe the Swinney’s team has actually bounced back or not, we’re all surely about to find out.
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One could very well argue Clemson has benefitted from a softer schedule, playing Georgia Southern, North Carolina and Cal, all teams not on the same talent level or still in the middle of building up their programs. Even then, none of the wins were impressive and had you thinking you the dominant Tigers of years past were back.
Next up for Clemson is No. 5 Miami, where that defense will get another reality check against Darian Mensah, Malachi Toney and all of the star-studded Hurricanes.
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In what is easily the biggest home game of the season, Clemson will have to put up a much better fight than it did against LSU to rid itself of the fraud allegations. Another crushing defeat and the calls for Swinney to move on will only get louder. Win, or even play it close, and the old dog shows maybe it does have some fight left him.
Because unlike the late night trip on Friday, Clemson fans and a whole lot more people are going to be wide awake waiting to find out.
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“We’re just happy to get the win, and hopefully somebody stayed up back home to watch it,” Swinney said.
Raul Rosas Jr. keeps making history. Already the youngest UFC signee and youngest ranked UFC fighter, Rosas becomes the youngest fighter to headline a UFC card on Saturday. Raoni Barcelos, his opponent, knows a thing about beating young studs.
Rosas Jr. (13-1) is a phenom. Rosas signed his UFC contract at 17 and cracked the bantamweight rankings before his 22nd birthday. There was an early setback against Christian Rodriguez between those two milestones, but he got back on track by stacking wins and forcing his way into contention. Saturday’s main event is another first, and the moment isn’t lost on him.
“I’m ready to die in that cage on Saturday night,” Rosas told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “No matter what happens, I’m ready to die. I’m pretty sure I could say the same thing about him. I feel I have a lot to lose, but I have a lot to win, and I feel the same thing about him. If he loses to me, where does he go? And if I lose to him, my dreams of becoming a UFC champion could fade away, so I can’t let it fade away that easily.”
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Barcelos (22-5) has taught many young fighters important lessons. The 39-year-old enters Saturday on a five-fight win streak with each victory over a younger opponent. That includes Payton Talbott, who entered their fight as a massive betting favorite and now co-headlines UFC 332 next week. When most fighters experience decline, Barcelos seems to get better.
“I compare to wine,” Barcelos said. “I think I age like fine wine.”
Rosas, 21, has lofty plans to become UFC champion and retire by 25. It reeks of the stubborn confidence of a fighter who has been competing since his teens. Rosas has largely succeeded, but Barcelos believes some lessons can’t be skipped no matter how talented the prodigy.
“He hasn’t walked through the same path that I have had, and I think he is still going to have some roadblocks in the way during his career,” Barcelos said. “I have seen a lot, and I have fought five rounds three times in my career [on the regional scene] and can tell you. I think I am the problem for him; I don’t think he is a problem for me.”
Saturday’s co-main event has women’s bantamweight title implications. Top five contenders Norma Dumont and Ailin Perez scrap, six weeks before Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes fight for the UFC title.
Japanese sensation Rinya Nakamura closes out the preliminary card. The Wrestling World Cup medalist fights Brady Hiestand, whom he was first scheduled to fight two years ago.
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Let’s take a look at the rest of the fight card with the latest odds from DraftKings before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 | Start time: 8 p.m. ET (Main card), 5 p.m. ET (Prelims) Location: Meta APEX — Las Vegas TV Channel: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as low as $8.99 per month)
Prediction
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos: At 39, you have to wonder when the bottom falls out for Barcelos. It hasn’t yet. He’s thrived as an underdog against younger opponents. Rosas gives Barcelos another matchup where his strengths are overlooked. Rosas’ striking output is pitiful, putting enormous pressure on his wrestling to win rounds. Barcelos has an 87% takedown defense and spent entire camps preparing for elite grapplers like Umar Nurmagomedov and Ricky Simon. Rosas’ takedown success will dictate the scorecards. If he gets Barcelos down, he should bank those rounds. But Barcelos should have a clear advantage whenever he keeps the fight standing. Rosas’ cardio failed him against Rodriguez. He’s improved since, but five rounds against a stubborn, seasoned veteran is a different test. Barcelos’ age makes him difficult to trust, particularly over 25 minutes, but Rosas doesn’t have the striking to punish him for slowing down. Expect a close fight with Barcelos stealing enough rounds on the feet. Pick: Barcelos via split decision
There is no shortage of individual attacking quality at Real Madrid. The problem is making it work consistently as a unit.
Against Atletico, Madrid struggled to create clear chances. Kylian Mbappe was largely ineffective and hardly touched the ball, while Vinicius Jr was substituted shortly after Dean Huijsen’s red card early in the second half.
Mourinho has three players, in Vinicius, Mbappe and Bellingham, capable of deciding matches on their own.
Bellingham’s ability to carry the ball forward, arrive late in the box and link midfield with attack is another important part of Madrid’s attacking threat, but Mourinho needs to ensure the trio complement rather than crowd each other.
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Vinicius needs to rediscover the explosiveness and directness that makes him so difficult to defend, while Mbappe needs a greater supply of chances rather than being asked to create opportunities for himself.
There is another attacking option Mourinho could turn to more often.
The 21-year-old has therefore shown he can make an impact when given game time.
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With Madrid still working out how best to balance Vinicius, Mbappe and Bellingham, Espi offers Mourinho another option – particularly when Madrid need a focal point in the final stages of matches.
His early impact suggests he deserves more opportunities to show what he can do.
Implementing a new style takes time, particularly when players are being asked to use space and accept risk in ways they are not accustomed to.
A common problem for coaches with an ambitious game model is becoming too attached to the final version of it and ignoring what the current squad needs.
Olid does not appear to be falling into that trap.
“The focus [against Arsenal] was the defensive shape,” she said. “It’s trying to get them more confidence.”
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Attacking football in this more fluid manner may be the final goal but Olid appears willing to build towards it in steps.
Early on in her managerial role at Hearts, she showed similar flexibility, which won her points, the trust of her players, and a platform from which to create exciting football.
“The [attack] will come,” Olid has said. “But we need to keep this [defensive structure], then from there, little by little, be an attacking team, create chances, score more goals.”
And the League Cup victory did give some indication it has, although Sheffield United are bottom of WSL 2 in the early weeks of the season.
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What will be key is to see how they build on that momentum for this weekend’s WSL match against West Ham on Sunday.
MEDINAH, Ill. — Wyndham Clark wanted noise, and he knew how that sounded.
“These guys are going to laugh,” Clark said, motioning to Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns sitting next to him.
Clark, after all, had heard unpleasantries this year, even while winning the U.S. Open, which, by every account, should be a pleasant moment. There’d even been whispers that he was a villain, which here, in the Chicago area, is a term reserved for those who ask for a thin slice. But Thursday night, after Clark and partner Collin Morikawa won their Day 1 four-balls match at the Presidents Cup, Clark gave us the definition of irony.
“It was kind of dead out there,” he said. “I felt like the momentum could have been better, to be honest, because we weren’t really feeling the fans, I think, as much as normal.
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“There was a few shots — I mean, Collin hit a 5-wood on, what was it, 11 to like 10 feet, and we didn’t even know if it was on the green because no one clapped. It was a little surprising. We’d make some big putts — I’m saying this more as a challenge that hopefully tomorrow and the weekend the fans are out there really rooting us on, and regardless of what happens, we have the momentum.”
A few minutes later, Brandt Snedeker, Clark’s American captain, agreed with him, saying “it was a weird day.” And maybe it was at Medinah Country Club, for a variety of reasons: perhaps it was just because it was a Thursday; perhaps it was due to some of the viewing areas; perhaps it was general malaise over the injury uncertainty of the local football club’s quarterback. Fandom can at times be fickle. But there’s also a bit of Goldilocks-ness to it.
You don’t want it too church-like.
But you don’t want whatever the hell you call what went down last September at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on Long Island. In short, even Webster’s probably hadn’t heard some of the words expressed.
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So what should be said, especially now, after a Friday stunner, where the Internationals dusted the Americans, 5-0, and lead 7-3 overall? Remember that things turned their nastiness at Bethpage on Saturday afternoon.
Thing is, maybe words shouldn’t be said, though.
They should be sung.
You know the hits. There’s this one, on Rory McIlroy, sung to the Cranberries’ “Zombie”:
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He’s in your heeeeaaad He’s in your heeeeeeeaaaaaad Ro-ry, Ro-ry, Rory-y-y-y
And this one, on Team Europe, sung to “Freed from Desire,” from Gala:
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Europe’s on fire U-S-A is terrified Europe’s on fire U-S-A is terrified Europe’s on fire U-S-A is terrified Europe’s on fire Whomp Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah
“>
There is a theme, of course. All centered on Europeans or the continent they come from. Most originate from the lyrical geniuses at the Guardians of the Cup, a European fan group; their website even includes songs going back a decade. The inspiration comes from European soccer; go to any match, and there’s hymn after hymn. Josh Crutchmer knows that. He’s written several books on music and his byline appears in Rolling Stone, and soccer is his passion.
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“It’s absolutely the culture,” he texted me. “European sports generally predate our own, and the sports with collective fandom associated — golf, soccer, rugby — have been communal for centuries. Anything from a church hymn to a war cry to a sea shanty could naturally become a sports chant.
“Drop in modern pop culture on top of that history and major golf tournaments are great fodder for inventing chants like this.”
But why hasn’t that taken off in the U.S.?
Maybe it isn’t too late. Americans are creative, of course, but we also shouldn’t be afraid to sample.
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“The easiest way for American sports fans to adopt these would be to simply take a cue from their foes,” Crutchmer says. “But if that’s a point of pride, then I think we would do well to look at our college sports culture. Chants like these are a major part of softball and soccer at the college level. And if we want to look at sports viewed as on par with top-level golf, we should look at how football fans celebrate touchdowns — fight songs in college and singalongs in the pros.
“We’re not as far away from this as we think. It’s just a matter of taking ourselves one step less seriously as fans.”
Unseriousness? I can do that.
Song writing, though? Some would say I struggle with website writing. Turns out Claude, the AI assistant, wasn’t all that great, either. My question was this: Hi, Claude. Could you please write five refrains from songs that include Presidents Cup American team names? The catchier the better! Wyndham Clark wants noise. Here’s a few of the responses:
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Sung to the tune of “Sweet Caroline”:
Where it began I can’t begin to knowin’ But Scottie’s swing Man, it just keeps on flowin’! Burns and Cantlay Steady down the fairway So good, so good, so good
Sung to the tune of “Seven Nation Army”:
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Scottie’s comin’, better know it Burns is swingin’, watch him show it Red and white, we ain’t gonna fold — Medinah’s ours, the story’s told!
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To the tune of “Livin’ on a Prayer”:
Whoa, we’re halfway there Whoa-oh, Schauffele’s puttin’ in the air! Take my hand, we’ll make it I swear, Whoa-oh, livin’ at Medinah!
Hmm. OK then. Let’s sample instead.
On Friday, talented GOLF.com videographer Will Moriarty and I talked to a few willing folks at Medinah about Clark’s comments — and my humble proposal. Most agreed with Clark. Most believed more noise would come over the Cup’s remaining days. Most thought that songs were a European thing.
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But friends Gage and Leebo gave the Tommy Fleetwood song a try — using Scottie Scheffler’s name as per my suggestion.
Not bad! But the Americans may need something more. Bigger. Bolder.
Friday was an International incident. A Medinah mauling. Five alternate shot matches. Five International wins. Afterward, Snedeker said the support was better on Friday, but heading into Saturday, the red, white and blue are down bad.
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They need Keenan Fitzpatrick.
He’s one of Clark’s childhood friends. He had heard about his friend’s comments.
Fitzpatrick said he then flew in from Colorado. He dressed up in a jumpsuit that had more than a few onlookers thinking he was Evil Knievel. He brought a second one in case someone else wanted to join him. He said that “this sport goes back ages and we’re going to learn to get loud.”
I asked him if he wanted to sing.
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He did. He said doing so would make him bounce around. Which he did. And we got this.
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