Paul Scholes criticised Manchester United, and seemingly Michael Carrick, following defeat to Newcastle and it’s not the first time the midfielder has questioned his former team-mate
“Michael has definitely got something special about him… cos United have been c**p last four games… night,” he posted on his Instagram Story, which has since been deleted.
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But it’s not the first time the United icon has questioned Carrick, who is in charge at Old Trafford until the end of the season. Scholes accused Carrick and other coaches of disloyalty in 2021.
“I feel with Ole he put a lot of trust into Michael, Kieran (McKenna) and Mike Phelan which is why they shouldn’t be at the club now,” Scholes said at the time.
“They’re all good friends and they’re good people but if I was them I’d feel guilty still working at the club after Ole put so much trust in them.”
Taking an interim role to lead the team following Solskjaer’s exit, Carrick was quizzed about Scholes’ comments. The midfielder, who played alongside Scholes 160 times, revealed he had spoken to Solskjaer before taking the reins.
“It’s been an emotional few days,” he said. “The first person I spoke to after Ed (Woodward) offered me the role was Ole. I thought that was the right thing to do.”
Carrick has also spoken to Solskjaer more recently, after beating him to the United job earlier this year. The former England international suggested the pair remain close.
“Yeah, I spoke to him,” Carrick said. “I’m close, we’ve been through a lot together, so he’s been fully supportive and as you’d expect.
“He’s some man and I respect him an awful lot. He wished us all the best and he was happy that we got the right result.”
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Last time out, he made remarkably short work of Dillian Whyte, stopping the veteran in just 119 seconds in Saudi Arabia. But the Kent youngster is back on home soil this weekend, taking on an American opponent in Manchester.
Moses Itauma (left) and Jermaine Franklin at a launch press conference for their fight (Getty Images)
Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) actually has his own history with Whyte, having lost a controversial decision to the Briton in 2022 before losing to Anthony Joshua on points in 2023. Yet those defeats are the only losses of the 32-year-old’s career, and he is seen as a sensible test for Itauma, whose injury in January forced this bout to be pushed back by two months.
Here’s all you need to know.
When is the fight?
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Itauma vs Franklin will take place on Saturday 28 March at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester. The main card is due to begin at 5pm BST (10am PT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET), with main-event ring walks expected at 11pm BST (4pm PT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET).
Itauma is a short-priced favourite on all the major betting sites to win Saturday’s bout with Franklin a massive underdog, according to the bookies.
Itauma – 1/20
Franklin – 10/1
Draw – 20/1
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Fight card in full
Subject to change
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Itauma made short work of Dillian Whyte in August (Getty Images)
Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin (heavyweight)
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Nathan Heaney vs Gerome Warburton (middleweight)
Ezra Taylor vs Willy Hutchinson (light-heavyweight)
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Shakiel Thompson vs Brad Pauls (middleweight)
Liam Davies vs Francesco Grandelli (featherweight)
Alex Murphy vs Josh Holmes (lightweight)
Michael Gomez Jr vs Jordan Flynn (lightweight)
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There’s no question Ohio State’sArvell Reese is one of the best overall players in this draft class. They don’t make many athletes with the size (6-foot-4, 241 pounds), speed (4.47-second 40-yard dash) and positional versatility Reese brings. He finished 2025 with 6.5 sacks and 69 total tackles.
However, the history of players with similar versatility traits isn’t exactly encouraging in the NFL. Isaiah Simmons is on his third team in six seasons, Zaven Collins hasn’t found his footing in Arizona, and plenty of others have struggled to fit at the next level.
While I think Reese is different from those players — there’s a difference between “positionless” and “versatile” — there are still questions about where he plays in the NFL.
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More importantly, there’s the financial angle. The fifth-year options and franchise tags for EDGE and off-ball linebacker are the same, but the highest-paid EDGE (Micah Parsons) makes $46.5 million per year — more than the top two off-ball linebackers (Fred Warner and Roquan Smith) combined. Even average EDGE rushers carry more value financially, so if Reese wants to cash in, playing on the edge could be the way to go.
But does that best align with what he does on the field? Let’s dive into the film.
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Reese’s power pops immediately on the edge
The first thing that stands out when Reese lines up on the edge is how violent he is with his hands. Players who walk down from off-ball linebacker typically don’t play as heavy-handed as Reese does. He packs serious power into his punches as both a run defender and pass rusher, generating a ton of force for someone who would be considered undersized on the edge.
You can’t block him with a tight end — he’ll obliterate them in the run game. He forklifts players on the edge, using strong pad level to close gaps and funnel backs into traffic. This Illinois tight end stood no chance, getting manhandled into the very gap the running back was attacking.
Watch the Miami tight end’s head snap back on contact. There’s playing with force, and then there’s what Reese showed in his final year at Ohio State. He wrecks the rep with pure power.
This rep against Penn State’s left tackle isn’t perfect, but the force jumps out. His head is down on contact, but his body angle is excellent. He’s in position to stack and shed because he’s attacking with leverage, generating force through his body into the tackle’s chest so he can make a play.
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His pass-rush upside is both exciting — and incomplete
Where the rubber really meets the road is Reese’s potential as a pass rusher. Despite being undersized, he generates serious power. You’d expect an off-ball linebacker moving to the edge to win with speed and bend, but Reese’s go-to is converting speed to power and running through tackles.
This is what you would call getting dunked on in the football world:
Here, he faces fellow draft prospect Markel Bell (6-foot-9, 346 pounds) and still turns him with power, prying open the outside corner. The ball comes out before he arrives, but it’s a strong rep that shows what he can already do as a pass rusher.
Again, Reese displaces Illinois’ right tackle with power, knocking him off his feet. It’s not a perfect rep or finish, but it highlights how much force he generates in a 241-pound frame.
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Reese also showcases the ability to counter with speed. His pass-rush repertoire is still limited, but the flashes of bend and acceleration are reminiscent of top NFL rushers. Ohio State even schemed one-on-one opportunities, where he would do this to opposing tackles:
While he gets the sack on that rep, another better illustrates his upside. He sells the bull rush, then dips around the outside shoulder and flattens to the quarterback. That’s the kind of nuance he needs to build on.
The issue right now is consistency. He doesn’t have many reliable counters, which makes sense given his background as an off-ball linebacker who also drops into coverage. If he transitions full-time to the edge, his development as a pass rusher may take time.
He could improve by using his hands more actively — swiping at tackles to create cleaner rush paths and turn more pass rush reps into pressures. Against Wisconsin, for example, the tackle sets to cut off the edge. Reese needs to either club the outside hand or counter inside, but he does neither and loses the rep. A more detailed pass-rush plan will be key going up against NFL tackles.
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Another area for growth is stringing moves together when his initial rush stalls. That will come with reps and coaching. The upside is clear, but right now he’s a better run defender than pass rusher off the edge.
Reese might be more polished off the ball right now
As an off-ball linebacker, Reese’s violent hands and fluidity really stand out. Even in a defense loaded with megazord athletes, he consistently pops on tape. He simply puts guys on their butts when they try to block him. His explosiveness moving downhill is a delight to watch, and his hand placement and ability to forklift defenders immediately jump off the tape. Just ask this Penn State tight end:
OUCH. His ability to generate force allows him to lift blockers out of the way and stay square to the line of scrimmage while working through traffic. He’s comfortable operating in tight spaces and consistently finds the ball.
One rep against Michigan highlights his instincts. The Buckeyes are in a five-man front, with Reese aligned as the stack linebacker. The defensive lineman in front of him plays his primary gap with the ability to fall back into his secondary, and Reese has to mirror that from depth to keep everyone on a string. He fits into the primary gap, then recognizes the running back bounce to the secondary as the tight end tries to get hands on him. Reese slips underneath the block and closes to make the stop — a great example of his high-level processing and movement ability.
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In the passing game, his ceiling is also high — especially as a blitzer. His power translates immediately, as shown when he drives a Texas right tackle back and forces Arch Manning out of the pocket.
Reese is a mismatch against running backs in pass protection and can be used as a penetrator on pass-rush games, using his size and speed to collide with offensive linemen and free up rushers. You can also design looks for him to play iso ball against RBs, where he can crush the pocket.
The main area for improvement off the ball is his spatial awareness in coverage. He has the range and athleticism, but his recognition once receivers enter his zone can improve. He recorded just two pass deflections in his career, rarely getting his hands on the football. Better angles could help — like on a near-play against Wisconsin that could have been an interception.
That said, there are reps where he shows potential. Against Penn State running a Dagger concept, he drops as the middle defender in Cover 2, carries the vertical route, then sinks to disrupt the dig and force a checkdown. That’s the upside.
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The biggest question: Where does Reese actually fit in the NFL?
So what is Reese at the next level — linebacker or EDGE? The answer is both. He’s a true hybrid, but not in a way that leaves him without a position. He can be a skeleton key who answers many questions for a modern defense, allowing it to shift fronts and personnel without substituting. Think about what the Eagles do with Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell — players with the size to play on the edge and the movement skills to stack without being liabilities in coverage. That kind of true versatility is becoming increasingly valuable in the NFL.
If you’re asking where he makes the most immediate impact, it’s probably as an off-ball linebacker. His coverage still needs refinement, but as a run defender and blitzer, he already fits what modern defenses want.
Still, he shouldn’t be boxed in. Let him dictate fronts and structures — that’s how he blossoms into the centerpiece of a modern NFL defense.
This weekend, Itauma meets American Jermaine Franklin, a veteran of 26 fights but still a young man in the heavyweight business at 32, and whose only two losses are more relevant than any of his 24 wins; there is a subtle difference between winning in risk-free fights and losing in fights where you have no chance.
Franklin is tough, tested, rested, and the type of seasoned and underestimated fighter that could beat any boxer on any given night. Itauma is still only 21, a wide-eyed kid in a division of dangerous old men, and he is also one of the most hyped fighters in the modern business.
Moses Itauma (left) facing off with Jermaine Franklin (Getty Images)
The hype started when he was still a schoolboy (at 16, he showed up to spar with the world’s best heavyweights in his school uniform) and has continued through his 13 professional fights. The Franklin fight is the first real test, a bout where Moses might have to go into the heavyweight unknown; Franklin’s two losses were over the full 12-round distance, to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua.
So far, Itauma has done everything right in a ring apprenticeship that launched with bold claims that he would win a world heavyweight title at a younger age than Mike Tyson. Luckily, that storyline vanished, and Itauma could get on with learning, winning, and growing as an adult and a boxer. Itauma has often talked about his sacrifices to get where he is – he lost his teenage years to the gym and his chosen profession.
In Itauma’s last fight, he travelled to Saudi Arabia in August and dropped and stopped the ghost of Whyte in just 119 seconds; we had no idea that Whyte would be beaten so quickly. It was a real message, and what was needed was a strong man, a man with a credible record and a man who posed a risk, but not a threat: Franklin is ideal, and this might just be one of Frank Warren’s greatest pieces of matchmaking.
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Itauma made short work of Dillian Whyte in August (Getty Images)
Franklin is in many ways the last of a once-essential heavyweight breed; he is the real definition of a journeyman fighter, a man who poses problems and can educate the boxers that beat him. He can also deliver a career-shattering loss, and last September in Las Vegas, he beat double Olympic medalist Ivan Dychko, who was unbeaten in 15 as a professional with 14 knockouts.
For context, there is no way that Itauma would have been matched with Dychko on that night. Franklin is a danger, and Itauma knows that very well; young Moses has a smart head for boxing and does not believe the hype.
The Independent columnist Steve Bunce speaking with a victorious Itauma (Getty)
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There is bold talk of world titles later this year, and even Oleksandr Usyk has entered the Itauma debate; the great Ukrainian has said he will not fight him because he doesn’t “want to break him”. The rest of the heavyweights have all welcomed the challenge.
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Itauma is also on his way to becoming, assuming he beats Franklin, one of the sport’s major cash cows. Itauma is a boxing baby, but he fights like a veteran, and that is a contradiction that might just elevate him from schoolboy menace to world heavyweight champion. The real road to glory for the kid from Kent starts on Saturday night.
The Bengals announced that they re-signed 41-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco to a one-year deal. The contract is for $6 million, but is worth up to $9 million with incentives, according to ESPN.
“I love the building,” Flacco told the team website. “I enjoyed being there, and I’m excited about being back with the fellas.”
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Dec. 7, 2025.(Mark Konezny/Imagn Images)
The Bengals acquired Flacco after he was benched by the Cleveland Browns after four starts. Burrow was hurt at the time, and Jake Browning, who was the backup before Flacco arrived, had underwhelmed.
Flacco made six starts for the Bengals and played well, despite the team having a 1-5 record in that span. He completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,664 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, and the Bengals offense averaged more than 27 points per game.
Making Flacco’s performance more impressive, he played through a sprained AC joint in his shoulder with the Bengals.
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Flacco was looking to find a starting job in free agency, but after not getting one, he struggled with the reality that he might not play at all.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco warms up before the Steelers game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16, 2025.(Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
“I don’t know what Plan A was. It’s tough to kind of say exactly what that looked like, so you kind of just have to go with the flow a little bit,” Flacco said. “I have good feelings there. The hardest thing for me is probably coming to grips with the fact that I might not play.”
The veteran quarterback didn’t want a repeat of last season with the Browns, when he was benched for rookie Dillon Gabriel after four games.
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“I felt like I had to be careful with some certain decisions. I don’t want to be in another situation where I’m going and playing four games like I did last year in Cleveland. I was a little bit nervous about that for whatever reason, and kind of getting thrown under the bus. I think there was a time to be that guy, but I don’t know if I was willing to do that. It just felt right in the gut,” Flacco said.
Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco runs off the field before a field goal attempt against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 16, 2025.(Sam Greene/The Enquirer/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Flacco, at 41, is the oldest player to ever play for the Bengals.
He is 14th on the all-time passing yards list and just 1,824 yards away from 50,000.
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In a perfect world for the Bengals, Flacco never steps on the field because that would mean Burrow remains healthy all season. However, if Burrow gets injured, they can trust that they have a capable backup who can lead the offense at a high level.
The former Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper has made 13 starts in the Championship and has delivered a series of impressive performances.
He was particularly influential in Southampton’s 1-0 victory over Norwich City, with the Saints currently sitting sixth in the table.
Southampton hold an option to sign him permanently for around €8 million, a deal that could be completed even if they fail to secure promotion.
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Bayern Munich’s goalkeeping situation
Christian Falk has exclusively told CFbayern that the goalkeeper situation at the German club hinges on several factors.
Manuel Neuer remains the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, but uncertainty surrounds his future amid ongoing injury concerns.
If Neuer signs a one-year extension, Jonas Urbig is expected to remain as the backup, with Sven Ulreich continuing as third choice.
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However, if Neuer decides to retire, Bayern are likely to promote Urbig to the number one role.
In that scenario, Ulreich would remain in the squad, while the club would look to recruit an experienced goalkeeper for additional cover.
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Alexander Nubel, currently on loan at VfB Stuttgart, could also factor into the plans, although a permanent deal would require a significant fee.
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Bayern are hopeful that Southampton will exercise their option to sign Peretz at the end of the season, allowing the club to streamline their goalkeeping department.
The news that two Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), have both changed hands for over $1.6 billion each has obviously made headlines. Both buyouts involved consortiums, and ownership will formally change only after the upcoming 2026 season.
Sports team buyouts are hardly new. But these two deals set new standards for the IPL with top-line numbers that hit, as Sourav Ganguly pointed out, National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Considering English football as a benchmark, only the “Big Six” of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are valued higher than RCB and RR.
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(Incidentally, the family of the late, great Shane Warne has been set up for life since the leg-spinner had cleverly negotiated a deal where he took a tiny stake in RR in lieu of compensation. That stake is now worth roughly ₹460 crore.)
All sorts of people buy sports teams. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund paid GBP 305 million in 2021, for example, to buy 80 per cent of English football club Newcastle United. Back in 2003, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea for GBP 140 million. He was forced to sell it after the Ukraine invasion when he came under sanctions. Real Madrid – probably the world’s richest club – by contrast is set up as a non-profit owned by some 90,000 “socios”, or individuals. Barcelona has a similar socio ownership structure.
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The concept of club ownership would be incomprehensible for traditional value investors seeking concrete returns on investment (RoI). For example, RCB declared profits of ₹140 crore on revenues of ₹550 crore in financial year 2024–25 (FY25). The consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, which bought it, paid $1.78 billion, or around ₹16,600 crore, for a 100 per cent stake.
Kal Somani, Walmart and co-investors paid roughly ₹15,300 crore for the RR franchise, which reportedly had an operating income (earnings before interest and tax, or EBIT) of ₹54 crore in FY25. Given the numbers, RoI at the valuations paid is very low. Even if optimistic growth multiples are assigned to the two franchises, the RoI would remain lower than parking that money in Government of India debt.
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Every IPL franchise receives an equal payout every season – approximately ₹484 crore in 2025 – from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) central media rights pool. This is the largest chunk of franchise revenue. The rest of the income comes from ticket sales, merchandise and, above all, sponsorships.
As many people have pointed out, the valuations have expanded a lot over the two-decade timeframe. In 2007, RR was auctioned for $67 million in the original IPL auction. The $1.63 billion sale works out to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 18.5 per cent for the valuation. Similarly, the initial RCB auction price was $111.6 million, which means the $1.78 billion exit reflects a CAGR of 16.5 per cent. (There have been interim sales and transfers of ownership.)
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The financials are similar for many other sports teams. RoI tends to be low because valuations are very high, and in many cases, teams operate at a loss.
So why would hard-headed businessmen and investors buy sports teams? There are several answers to that question, and most of them are perhaps partially correct. In some cases, this is out of sheer passion. The new owners happen to be deeply interested in the sport in question, and they have the money to indulge their “hobby”.
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Second, there’s optimism. “Brand value”, however you define it, has obviously grown by leaps and bounds for all IPL outfits in the last 20 years. Maybe brand value will continue growing at similar rates in future, especially if a smart, highly connected owner (or a consortium of highly connected owners) is in charge. Hope springs eternal.
There’s also the “greater fool theory”, which is often cited by market traders. This can be roughly defined as: “It’s fine to buy something at an inflated value if you reckon you can find a greater fool who will buy it off you at an even higher value.” That attitude has triggered all sorts of financial bubbles over the centuries.
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And, of course, if valuation does continue to inflate indefinitely, you may not even need to exit for a profit. The valuation can be monetised in other ways. For example, the stock market boosted the share price of United Spirits instantly when RCB won the 2025 IPL. There are already advisories out referencing the positive stock market impact of these buyouts.
The killer application with sports and sports investments, however, is something that is hard to accurately quantify. Organised sports is all about politics and influence, and having seats at the high table. The heads of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), for example, can meet any global head of state, pretty much whenever they please. The leadership of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the BCCI have similar privileges where cricket-playing nations are concerned. That influence may be hard to quantify, but it is easy to monetise, and it is something hard-headed investors will pay for.
JOHANNESBURG — Bryson DeChambeau looked exhausted, leaning on the edge of a desk in the LIV Golf media center Thursday afternoon. His chin sagged as he exhaled, only raising for a sip from his grape-flavored Celsius energy drink.
“It’s been a long couple weeks,” he said, referring to LIV’s trio of consecutive March stops: Hong Kong to Singapore to South Africa. “But this is what LIV is supposed to be.”
DeChambeau looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the media center at a golf course buzzing, spectators moving in every direction. The first round had just ended and he held a share of the lead.
“It might not work everywhere,” he said, “but in certain spots, it absolutely can.”
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That sentiment is the theme of the moment for LIV Golf as it leaves behind its fifth event of the year, in South Africa. Fourteen months ago, when Scott O’Neil took the helm from Greg Norman, the league was not ready for the African continent. But shortly after O’Neil arrived, Louis Oosthuizen convinced South Africa’s minister of sports, art and culture, Gayton McKenzie, to attend LIV’s Korea event to better understand the league. McKenzie met DeChambeau that week and quickly became enamored with LIV’s offerings. He is a boisterous man, unshy about his desires to bring big sport to his country and so keen to do so that he did a handshake deal with O’Neil on that Korea trip. Ten months later, LIV South Africa became one of the most successful events in the league’s four-year history.
The reasons behind that success, as ever, require context. How LIV creates its events is, now more than ever, plainly obvious, as if spelled out on a chalkboard at LIV HQ, or in the application the league requires municipalities to fill out. If a location checks enough boxes, LIV is likely to bring an event there. If it doesn’t check enough boxes, like, for example, receiving government funding, LIV is likely to look elsewhere.
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“Adelaide is the template,” LIV pro Brendan Steele told me on the range last week. He was giddy. There was anticipation in the air, with digital clocks ticking down everywhere you looked ahead of the first round. By Adelaide, Steele means Australia, but more specifically, the state of South Australia, which welcomed LIV years ago and has been hosting its most successful event ever since. That it coincided this year with an out-of-nowhere win by Anthony Kim was gravy.
Steele and I chatted only briefly, but he said great LIV events don’t necessarily need to “check all those boxes.” That feels optimistic, especially when it comes to LIV’s desire for government funding.
South Australia has signed on as LIV’s Australian home through 2031. New Orleans is getting its first LIV event this year, but only after earmarking $7 million to make it happen, from the same budget that offers public funding to host the Super Bowl and other major sporting events. LIV went to Chicago in each of its first four seasons — no other city could say that — but is not this summer, because sufficient state funding never materialized. If the Chicago Bears are going to struggle to get Illinois state money, to the point of considering a move to northwest Indiana, LIV Golf likely will, too. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, LIV has found a new Midwest home in Indianapolis.)
For LIV South Africa to become a reality, getting McKenzie to pursue government aid was step 1 — and McKenzie, who was out and about at the Club at Steyn City all week long, was the right man for the job. He so badly wants F1 to reroute its globe-trotting schedule through his country that he spoke up when multiple races were canceled recently in the war-torn Middle East. In hopes of landing an F1 race in the future, he recently promised to make an offer the racing circuit couldn’t refuse. He’ll now have a golfy case study to include in his proposal.
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It’s unclear what amount of public funding LIV Golf’s Joburg event landed, but it clearly led to a massive success. On Sunday morning, LIV announced it would return to South Africa next April, with McKenzie essentially opening the ticket window himself.
“LIV Golf is never leaving this continent again,” he said. “Which means we’re going to be here 2027, 2028, 2029, 20-forever. We’re going to be here.”
Branden Grace plays the final hole of LIV Golf South Africa Sunday.
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AFTER THE SECOND ROUND, DeChambeau is back in the media center, sipping another Celsius, panting less heavily this time.
“Be honest,” he starts, “how many PGA Tour events are like that?”
He’s referring to the sound, the fervor, the hanging-around-well-after-the-round element that happens when the golf is a lead-in to a performance by one of South Africa’s biggest DJs, Black Coffee. Between Friday and Saturday, event organizers had to replace the white picket fence surrounding the party hole with a metal one out of fear that the crowd would trample it.
“Not many,” I say. “But be honest, at how many places can this actually happen?”
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“Five or six internationally,” DeChambeau says, indicating he’s given the idea thought. He rattles off Australia, South Africa, Spain and England, maybe one in Asia.
“And definitely one in Chile, for Torque [GC].”
The globalist mind wanders. Santiago … Buenos Aires … DeChambeau was not the only LIV contractor to suggest this number of roughly six locations worldwide that could host the raucousness of 100,000 people who want a festival concoction that pairs golf with music, arts, food, etc. That is the LIV product now more than ever. It’s impossible to know how many attendees are treating the golf as an opener for Calvin Harris, or how many view Harris as a dessert following DeChambeau, but LIV sees either scenario as a market advantage.
South Africa is not necessarily starved for pro golf. The DP World Tour has played host to four tournaments in the country in the last four months alone. But what the DPWT brings to South Africa is so different from LIV that it’s almost offensive to each league to compare the two. The DPWT isn’t trying to create festivals. LIV isn’t trying to do anything but make a massive, memorable splash. All of which made event organizers, in the planning stages, think far more about the 2003 Presidents Cup — held in South Africa — than any Nedbank Challenges. Last week’s event was endlessly hailed as the biggest golf event in South African history, just like the Adelaide event in February was similarly dubbed for Australia.
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The architect of these events is Ross Hallett, who brings decades of golf-event experience from IMG. He wants every LIV event to be as big in scale as the Presidents Cup, but while feeling less like a traditional golf tournament. “Music works,” he says. “We know it. Easy. How do you incorporate art? We haven’t got it [figured out], but there’s [local] art on every TV tower.”
In Hong Kong, local celebrity chefs were cooking in the fan village all week, with mirrors placed above their heads so spectators could better see.
“They were mic’d up and I was like, This is awesome,” said O’Neil, LIV’s CEO. “Now, is it for everyone? No. Does it move the needle in selling more tickets? I don’t know. Maybe, maybe it doesn’t. But like the whole total experience. It’s like that fully cultural experience, which I love, and I think over time that wins because it’s right in the demo. It’s right in the demo: culture, food, art, music, golf.”
That O’Neil referenced golf last among those attractions might well have been unintentional but it does raise a question: Can the golf at LIV Golf matter significantly to hardcore, traditional golf fans? O’Neil obviously thinks so. And in person, the competition in South Africa was mostly riveting, even if the water-logged course lacked intrigue.
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In a dream scenario, the league’s two best players — and two of its most expensive signees — landed in a playoff. Suddenly, two of the best pre-Masters storylines are a result of LIV Golf, which hasn’t happened before. Adding more juice, South Africa’s Southern Guards were one 18th-hole birdie putt away from a playoff of their own.
On the final hole in regulation, with rope lines dropped, DeChambeau needed to get up and down for par; as he went to work, an enormous crowd tried getting in his head with a rendition of their national anthem. On the first playoff hole, more drama, with DeChambeau hitting a stunning 3-wood from a mud-ball lie to set up his winning birdie. The setting was special; it moved DeChambeau to tears. All week he’d been treated like Elvis — sometimes signing autographs for an hour at a time — and even acted like a frontman on the championship stage, coming back out for an encore of applause, throwing his hat into the crowd and shouting, “I LOVE YOU GUYS.”
Bryson DeChambeau bows to the crowd following his win at LIV South Africa.
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That this culmination happened at 8 a.m. on America’s East Coast matters because there tends to be this truism ringing through LIV’s best results: You kinda had to be there to appreciate them. Between time zones and lack of interest from the Golf Channel demo, there remains a disconnect between the action abroad and how it resonates at-large, particularly in the U.S.
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On a year-over-year basis, LIV’s international television numbers are up. But throughout its four-plus seasons, the American TV numbers have not been good, and the American TV market is where a dominant amount of value is derived for sports leagues all over the globe. For the PGA Tour, for example, TV rights make up nearly two-thirds of its “core business” revenues.
TV can be less important for LIV Golf, but can it be unimportant? On LIV’s current TV deal, its events bounce among FS2, FS1 and FOX and have been out-rated by similarly scheduled PGA Tour events by a factor of 10x or 11x, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel. LIV hopefuls believe in time the league will pull market share from the PGA Tour. But if LIV wants to put a dent into its American TV deficit this season, it’ll have to do so against five Signature Events on the PGA Tour. That’s not an uphill climb; it’s a vertical-face ascent.
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THERE IS A SENSE OF AMAZEMENT, for Johannesburg locals at least, at how quickly LIV erected its business in their backyard. One person who lives on property at the Steyn City Estate said the event buildout sprouted out of the ground like mushrooms.
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When the Southern Guards approached McKenzie to get the government green-light, they thought it would probably happen in 2028, maybe by 2027 if they were lucky, but certainly not 2026. But McKenzie made it happen. O’Neil says local sponsors are almost just as important as local government support, and while they didn’t get a title sponsor this year — like LIV had in Hong Kong — he thinks they will next year.
Stroll the Steyn City property and you’ll see far more local and global brands leaning into LIV than it had during its first season. Coca-Cola’s suite of products — from Powerade to Monster Energy — were well placed throughout the fan village. The concert stage was sponsored by Castle Light, South Africa’s leading beer producer. Saudi Arabian companies such as Roshn, Riyadh Air, Maaden and Aramco, are also well repped, a vital reminder that the big money required to bring this tour to the African continent is still coming from the Middle East. The Saudi Public Investment Fund also has continued to inject investment into the league.
LIV has been able to lower costs over time, but O’Neil projected to the Finanical Timesthat it will take between five and 10 more years for the league to become profitable. All of which means Saudi money will continue to be a requirement to reach markets like South Africa. (One reason F1 might be taking its time with going to South Africa is that it may not generate the same amount of revenue — from tickets or sponsorship — as it could elsewhere.) LIV will obviously continue seeking other markets that could mimic its recent success. And when it does, is it filling a gap within the global golf ecosystem?
Early in the week, I was curious to discuss that idea of “gaps” in the pro game, as promises rained down about how special LIV South Africa would be. The notion of LIV satiating thirsty markets has caught hold enough that Rory McIlroy even praised LIV for finding its footing in Australia.
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South African fans were out in full force at LIV Golf’s event in Johannesburg.
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DeChambeau and his Crushers GC teammates were doing a pre-tournament press conference where, unsurprisingly, the captain received a majority of the questions. But sitting next to him was Paul Casey, a 48-year-old veteran who grew up traveling the DP World Tour, spent five straight years serving on the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council and now sits on the player advisory group at LIV. I asked him, as he looks at the pro-golf ecosystem, what gaps is LIV filling?
“That’s a good question,” Casey said. “It’s a complicated question and one I’d probably defer to answer some other time because it’s nuanced. Yeah, product-market fit is a real thing that we discuss. We talk about it a lot as players actually. I don’t think it ever gets talked about enough.”
Product-market fit is a mostly simple business idea where companies reach a specific audience with unique needs by offering a product that meets them. In Silicon Valley, it’s easier to point at. Applied to the complex (and competitive!) golf world — emphasis on world — it can be a tricky thing to analyze. LIV Golf will always stage an event in Saudi Arabia, for obvious reasons. It will probably always stage events in Australia, given its success there. Will it go to Chile, as DeChambeau wants?
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A few minutes later, when the press conference had finished, Casey pulled me aside.
“I think it just comes back to, What do the fans want?” he told me. “I keep going back to the Charlie Munger quote: ‘You show me the incentives, and I’ll show you the outcome.’”
By that Casey meant executives from any tour tend to take their leagues in such obvious directions that it’s not hard to see their goals. And if you look at the golf world, it’s not surprising where certain tours end up, based on the incentives they’re in pursuit of. Casey thinks it would take a bottle of wine — maybe two — and a few hours of chatting to solve the schedule of global golf. He’s not wrong.
The next time I saw Casey was five days later behind the 18th green. He was standing next to me as the Rahm-DeChambeau playoff began.
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“So,” I asked him. “Does this suffice for product-market fit?
“This is definitely product-market fit,” Casey said, pausing for a few beats. “There aren’t many tournaments in the world like this one.”
Cincinnati Bengals helmets sit lined up along the sideline before kickoff, offering a close-up view of the team’s gear ahead of a divisional matchup at M&T Bank Stadium, Nov 7, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The scene captured pregame anticipation as Cincinnati prepared to face the Ravens under the lights. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images.
After extensive quarterback theories, sponsored by fans and media members, the Minnesota Vikings landed on a double-fisted combo at quarterback next to J.J. McCarthy in 2026: Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz. That man will not be Joe Flacco, who frequented the rumor mill in the last two months. Flacco signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday.
Cincinnati closed the door on one more Vikings-adjacent QB rumor from early in the offseason.
Flacco’s career continues to chug along, the poster of volume stats when a team’s QB1 gets hurt.
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Cincinnati’s Move Ends the Flacco Theories for Another Year
Flacco returns to a familiar spot.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) warms up on the field before kickoff, going through pregame routines ahead of action on Nov. 27, 2025, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, preparing to face a division opponent as part of the late-season NFL slate. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images.
Flacco to CIN
It’s a reunion deal for Flacco, who wound up in Cincinnati via trade midseason when Joe Burrow missed several games.
ESPN’s Ben Bay wrote Tuesday, “Joe Flacco is coming back for another season. The 41-year-old quarterback has agreed to a one-year deal to stay with the Cincinnati Bengals, his agent, Joe Linta, told ESPN. Sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler the contract is for $6 million, but could be worth up to $9 million with incentives.”
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“Flacco began last season as the Cleveland Browns’ top quarterback. But after four starts, he was benched in favor of Cleveland rookie Dillon Gabriel. Around the same time, the Bengals needed a starting quarterback following Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury and Jake Browning’s struggles. Cincinnati sent the Browns a 2026 fifth-round pick in exchange for Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Browning signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this offseason.”
The guy has Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers-like staying power per age.
The Las Vegas Raiders were evidently interested in Flacco, too, as Cincy Jungle‘sAnthony Cosenza noted, “Apparently, the Las Vegas Raiders were heavily interested in Flacco, with the Bengals stepping up to land the 41-year-old signal-caller. While the Bengals prioritized re-signing Flacco, they also had the understanding that he was going to search for the best offer, and one that had the potential to start.”
“While he doesn’t receive the latter in Cincinnati, he got a lucrative backup deal (one year, $6 million, worth up to $9 million) and returns to a place he seemed to have greatly enjoyed when coming over midseason.”
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Resume in the NFL
Flacco joined the NFL from Round 1 in 2008 with the Baltimore Ravens and has started 201 games since. He ranks 14th all-time in passing yards and 21st in passing touchdowns. As of late, he’s morphed into a mercenary for hire, the guy called by teams when a QB1 gets hurt, and volume passing is needed.
In 18 seasons, he averages 230 passing yards per game and won a Super Bowl with the 2012 Ravens.
Here’s his destination resume:
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Baltimore Ravens (2008–2018)
Denver Broncos (2019)
New York Jets (2020)
Philadelphia Eagles (2021)
New York Jets (2021–2022)
Cleveland Browns (2023)
Indianapolis Colts (2024)
Cleveland Browns (2025)
Cincinnati Bengals (2025–now)
SI.com‘s James Rapien on the Bengals’ 2026 quarterback room: “Flacco returns to be Burrow’s backup. The Bengals also signed veteran Josh Johnson earlier this month. They have a trio of signal callers that make up arguably the best quarterback room in the NFL.”
“Burrow is one of, if not the best quarterback on the planet when he’s healthy. Flacco is a Super Bowl champion entering his 19th season. Johnson is a battle tested veteran that has bounced around the league, but has stuck around and joins Flacco as the only other quarterback from the 2008 NFL Draft that is still in the league.”
Burrow Insurance
The Bengals basically wanted another Joe in case their main Joe gets hurt. Burrow isn’t necessarily injury-prone, but compared to other Top 10 quarterbacks, he’s not far from the label. In the last three seasons, Burrow has missed one-third of all games due to injury.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) meets New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) after the final whistle, sharing a brief exchange following the contest on Nov. 23, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati after both teams wrapped up a competitive matchup. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images.
Instead of trading for Flacco if something happens to Burrow in 2026 — that’s what the Bengals did last year — they simply re-signed him in March to hedge the bet.
The previous QB2 alternative was a man named Jake Browning, who began his career with the Vikings a half-decade ago. Browning turned heads in his few starts with decent performance but later fizzled and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.
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All the Bengals FA Moves
Cincinnati has been one of the quieter teams in free agency per volume, with these newcomers and re-signings:
Jonathan Allen (DL) MIN → CIN
Bryan Cook (S) KC → CIN
Joe Flacco (QB) CIN → CIN
Boye Mafe (ED) SEA → CIN
Josh Johnson (QB) BAL → CIN
Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) steps into a throw during first-half action against the Detroit Lions, delivering a pass downfield on Sept. 28, 2025, at Ford Field in Detroit while operating within the Browns’ offensive scheme early in the game. Mandatory Credit: Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK-Imagn Images.
And then men who left for new adventures:
Tycen Anderson (S) CIN → DEN
Jake Browning (QB) CIN → TB
Noah Fant (TE) CIN → NO
Geno Stone (S) CIN → BUF
Trey Hendrickson (ED) CIN → BAL
Marco Wilson (CB) CIN → MIA
Joseph Ossai (ED) CIN → NYJ
Cam Taylor-Britt (CB) CIN → IND
Flacco will turn 42 during the postseason in 2026. The Vikings are slated to play the Bengals again in 2029.
Following a stamina-testing victory in the N E Manion Cup at Rosehill, imported runner Mr Monaco has the Sydney Cup lined up as his probable upcoming assignment.
Mr Monaco ($5.50), stuck three-wide midfield throughout, dug deep with a gritty surge to repel the rapidly closing Taramansour ($31) by a long head, as Juja Kibo ($3.70 fav), from the same stable, trailed by just a half-head for third.
Trainer Ciaron Maher announced the five-year-old’s itinerary includes Sydney’s marquee staying test over two miles at Randwick next month, potentially without a lead-up race.
“We knew he’d improve up to the mile-and-a-half, but that was a strong win,” Maher said.
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“Onwards to the Sydney Cup and given how well he stayed today, he’d probably nearly just line up straight after this one.”
The gelding raced early in England, arrived in Australia last year, and ended his spring series of three starts with a Caulfield victory.
Maher observed that Mr Monaco has mirrored the standard improvement curve for Euro imports and is still advancing, while expressing contentment with Juja Kibo’s third spot, the horse also Sydney Cup-bound at 3200m via Sydney Cup.
“‘Juja’ looked to have the softer run and have everything it’s way, but ‘Monaco’ had to do it the tougher way and covered a bit of ground,” he said.
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“Both horses, they’re going to strip pretty well and get in with a nice weight, and both will run the two miles.”
After piloting Queensland Derby aspirant Barrengarry to success in the Midway Handicap (1500m), Zac Lloyd doubled up early courtesy of Mr Monaco, who overcame a wide starting position in the N E Manion Cup (2400m) and whose performance Lloyd rates highly for Sydney Cup prospects.
“I think that’s going to be right up his alley, considering he probably ran about 3000 (metres) today, so he’s ready to go,” Lloyd said.
Discover the best betting sites for Sydney Cup markets in 2026.
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