The Minnesota Vikings are set to face the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. That means they’ll open with their biggest rival, and be looking to start the season on a positive note in the NFC North.

A year ago, the Green Bay Packers added one of the best edge rushers in football when they acquired Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys.

Hargrave Will Be Asked to Fill a Massive Void in GB

Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL late in the season and underwent surgery. It remains unclear when he will be available for the 2026 season, which immediately benefits Minnesota.

Last season, Parsons played in his first Packers-Vikings game during Week 12, and he racked up a pair of sacks while logging three quarterback hits. He’s a menace off the edge and is a problem for any passer dropping back in the pocket. If there’s a game he’s going to miss, though, it seems that the one out of the gate makes sense.

Should Parsons not be available, eyes turn even more significantly to former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Javon Hargrave. Released as a cap casualty that didn’t live up to expectations a season ago, the defensive tackle will certainly be looking to get back at his former employer. He won’t have the benefit of focus on the edge, but he has been a guy who can get home up the middle.

After playing in just three games during 2024 for the San Francisco 49ers, Hargrave tallied 3.5 sacks last season with Minnesota. That was down substantially from the 7.0 he had as a Pro Bowl selection in 2023, and even lower than the career-high 11.0 he had in 2022.

Hargrave isn’t getting any younger at 33, but he did sign with a rival that can provide an opportunity to get revenge on his former employer. If the Packers aren’t going to have Parsons for Week 1, then they’ll need Hargrave to be a menace up the middle, and he should be motivated to do so personally as well.

Either way, not facing a defensive star like Parsons would be a win for the Vikings. Knowing that Hargrave is coming for them won’t be a surprise, and maybe they can thwart his efforts, too.

Ted Schwerzler is a Minneapolis based blogger that covers the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. Sharing thoughts constantly on Twitter, … More about Ted Schwerzler

The caddie for Garrick Higgo blames himself after the pro was penalized two strokes for arriving late last week to his PGA Championship first-round tee time. 

Austin Gaugert posted his thoughts to Instagram on Wednesday. On Monday, Golfweek’s Adam Schupak reported that Gaugert and Higgo parted ways after the PGA, and at this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson event, Higgo is using Nick Cavendish-Pell as his caddie. 

Below is Gaugert’s statement:

“I want to say something about the incident with Garrick Higgo being late to the tee on Thursday at the PGA Championship. As a caddie, you try to do everything you can to prepare your player for competition and I fell short of that. Garrick was understanding throughout the situation and handled it with professionalism and class. This has happened to players before and will again. Garrick handled a difficult situation with grace, and I wish him nothing but success moving forward.

“After working with Garrick and finding the highest success in caddying, Garrick has become a better friend to me than just a boss. I will always be grateful for that.”

Higgo’s late-arrival penalty came during last Thursday’s first round of the PGA. He’d been scheduled to tee off at 7:18 a.m. ET and arrived at 7:19, leading to the addition of two strokes to his first-hole score, per rule 5.3a of the Rules of Golf. Had Higgo arrived more than five minutes late, he would have been disqualified. 

At the time of the tee time, Higgo was on the nearby practice green, and as Higgo made his way to the tee, Gaugert was seen imploring him to arrive. When Higgo did, he was told of the penalty by a rules official, then went on to shoot a one-under 69. The next day, Higgo shot a 76 and missed the cut by a shot.  

After his first round, Higgo answered 15 questions on what had happened. 

“If you know me, then you know I am very casual and laid back,” Higgo said in his press conference. “But — I don’t know. I don’t want to be there 10 minutes early. I know that five minutes is fine. I thought I had time. 

“I was obviously too casual, yeah.”

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4 Pines Park will play host to Saturday’s
Round 12 NRL game between Manly Sea Eagles and
Gold Coast Titans. The game kicks off at 7:35 pm with Manly Sea Eagles heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Manly Sea Eagles vs.
Gold Coast Titans
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Saturday May 23, 2026 at 7:35 pm

Where: 4 Pines Park

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Manly Sea Eagles vs Gold Coast Titans Odds

Manly Sea Eagles vs Gold Coast Titans Preview

Manly will aim to strengthen its place inside the top four when it hosts struggling Gold Coast at 4 Pines Park on Saturday night. The Sea Eagles have rediscovered their spark under Kieran Foran, winning six of their past seven matches after last week’s emphatic 46-18 victory over the Wests Tigers. Their attacking form has been particularly impressive during that stretch, with Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic leading a confident and fast-moving spine. The Titans, meanwhile, continue to slide after suffering a fourth consecutive defeat against Newcastle despite showing early promise. Origin absences further complicate matters for Gold Coast, with captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and winger Jojo Fifita unavailable. Manly also loses several key players to Origin and suspension, forcing changes across the backline. The Titans will still take confidence from last season’s upset win over the Sea Eagles, when they stunned Manly 28-8 on the Gold Coast.

Moses Itauma has been urged to fight one of his fellow rising stars, with their battle potentially revealing a natural successor to Oleksandr Usyk.

While Usyk is still widely regarded as the bona fide heavyweight king, many would highlight Itauma as the obvious candidate to eventually seize his throne.

The 21-year-old is, after all, one of the most promising talents in world boxing, seemingly possessing the speed, power and footwork to become a long-reigning world champion.

Itauma’s most significant victory came against Jermaine Franklin in March, when he stopped the typically durable American in five rounds and cemented himself as the WBO’s leading contender.

While acknowledging his world-class potential, though, many have argued that the unbeaten knockout artist is yet to prove himself at the very top level.

And the same can be said for his transatlantic counterpart, Richard Torrez Jr, who also believes he has what it takes to reign supreme in years to come.

The 26-year-old’s most meaningful win saw him unanimously outpoint Guido Vianello in April 2025, representing his greatest achievement since claiming silver at Tokyo 2020.

Now, Torrez looks to remain unbeaten against Cuban veteran Frank Sanchez, but tells Pro Boxing Fans that he hopes to face Itauma before they both sail beyond their primes.

“I have a love for the sport and a love for competition – I want to know I’m the best.

“In order to know you’re the best, you have to fight the best, and I think Moses is one of the best up-and-comers.

“Fighting some of the older guys and trying to build your name is great… [but] being able to [fight someone in their] prime is also [great].

“We [Torrez and Itauma] have the opportunity to do so, so if everything goes to plan, and everyone’s willing, why not make that fight happen?”

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The winner of Torrez-Sanchez, which features on the undercard of Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, this Saturday, will be in line for a shot at Usyk’s IBF title.

Nigeria international Shukurat Oladipo has spoken about her emotional journey from grassroots football in Nigeria to becoming the Best Defender in the Italian Serie A Femminile for the 2025/26 season.

The AS Roma defender received the award after an outstanding campaign that helped the club win another league title in Italy.

Reacting to the achievement, the 21-year-old said she never stopped believing in herself despite the challenges she faced on her way to the top.

“From Robo Queens to AS Roma. From Nigeria to Italy. I never stopped believing,” Oladipo wrote after receiving the award.

The former FC Robo Queens star described the honour as a special moment in her career and gave thanks to God for her success.

“2025/26 Serie A Femminile Best Defender. League champions. All glory to God,” she added.

Oladipo joined Roma from Nigerian side FC Robo Queens in February 2025 and initially found it difficult to settle into life in Italian football. However, she gradually became one of the club’s key defenders with her strong displays at the back.

The Super Falcons defender also used the moment to appreciate her family, teammates, coaches and supporters for standing by her throughout her football journey.

“To my family — this is for you. To my Roma teammates and coaches — you made me better every single day and I am forever grateful,” she said.

“And to the fans and supporters — near and far, in Italy, Nigeria and around the world — thank you for your love and support. I really appreciate it. I love you all.”

Oladipo’s brilliant season has further strengthened her place in the Super Falcons squad ahead of future international competitions, with many now seeing her as one of Nigeria’s most important defenders.

In the age of NIL and revenue sharing, athletic department profit or loss is a major indicator of current and future college sports success.

Revenue is a big part of that, but keeping expenses down can help mitigate the situation.

The table below shows the total revenue, expenses, and profit or loss in millions of dollars for each of the top schools in the West, according to Mapping College Athletics.

Profit or loss data is not available for Air Force, USC, and Stanford.

First Published: May 22 2026 | 12:27 PM IST

MS Dhoni with Chennai Super Kings’ captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (Image: PTI)

Ravichandran Ashwin has come out strongly in support of Ruturaj Gaikwad following Chennai Super Kings’ disappointing IPL 2026 campaign, urging fans to stop abusing the young captain after the franchise’s playoff exit.CSK were officially eliminated from the tournament after suffering a crushing 89-run defeat against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on May 21. Chennai ended the league stage with six wins and eight defeats, marking their third failure to qualify for the playoffs in the last four seasons, a rare downturn for one of the IPL’s most successful franchises.The season also represented a major transition phase for CSK, especially in the absence of legendary skipper MS Dhoni, who did not feature in a single match during IPL 2026. With Gaikwad leading a young and injury-hit squad, the team struggled to maintain the consistency that once defined the Dhoni era. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin defended Gaikwad against the growing criticism from fans and stressed that poor form can happen to any player.“I will maintain, Ruturaj is a good player, yes. Sometimes, people abuse so much, I don’t know the reason. Ruturaj Gaikwad is not that kind of a player. It can happen to anyone. Time can change for anyone. Take Ishan Kishan, for example. If you remember, Mumbai Indians spent a lot of money to get Ishan Kishan in the auction, but he didn’t do much at the Mumbai Indians. SRH also invested in him, but he is batting well for SRH. So, time changes for everyone, but it doesn’t make any sense to, you know, abuse any players or anything like that,” Ashwin said.Ashwin also reminded fans that the IPL has become significantly more competitive compared to the early years of CSK’s dominance under Dhoni.”Dhoni and CSK have made everyone habituated over the last 18 years that we will win, we will reach the play-offs, it’s that easy. It is not like that now. There are 10 teams now. Every team plays good cricket. Anyone can beat anyone on their day, and Chennai this time won against all the teams below them, who are at the bottom of the table. So, they have some yards to go, but they have a lot of promise in their team,” Ashwin explained.Gaikwad himself endured a difficult IPL 2026 campaign both as batter and captain. Re-acquired by CSK for INR 18 crore ahead of the mega auction, he managed 337 runs in 14 innings at an average of 28.08. His strike rate of 123.44 became a major talking point throughout the season, especially during Chennai’s sluggish Powerplay performances.One of the biggest moments of criticism came during the group-stage clash against Gujarat Titans, where Gaikwad registered the slowest half-century of IPL 2026, reaching his fifty in 49 deliveries.

After an instant heavyweight classic earlier this month, Fabio Wardley will seek to avenge his defeat to Daniel Dubois and recapture the WBO world title. Eddie Hearn, who promoted Wardley earlier in his career, has shared his thoughts on the rematch.

Wardley scored two early knockdowns against Dubois in his first defence of the WBO crown after being elevated to world champion. Dubois recovered and took charge, dishing out plenty of punishment before the fight was stopped by referee Howard Foster in round 11.

Many fans and experts believe Wardley would take some time away from the sport in order to recover, but the Ipswich fan-favourite has instead triggered his contractual rematch clause to force a second encounter with ‘Triple D’.

Speaking with Boxing News, Matchroom promoter, Eddie Hearn, explained why he believes Wardley ‘has done the right thing’.

“I think that he has done the right thing. It is easy to criticise and I have been there before, ‘AJ’ is a classic example, specifically after the [Andy] Ruiz fight, it was very one-sided after he [Joshua] got dropped and everyone said ‘don’t take the rematch first, do this, do that’.

“You have, on your plate and in your hand, a shot to win the world heavyweight championship. After that fight, and specifically after the damage [he suffered], Fabio is an underdog in that fight, but he can win. He can win that fight and, if you have a chance of winning that fight, for me, I think that you have to take it.

“So, good luck to him and I wouldn’t rule him out either. Like I said, I think that Daniel, this time, is a big favourite in the fight, but I wouldn’t rule Fabio Wardley out in this fight.”

“He needs to make adjustments, Usyk said it today, where was the jab? But you’re talking about a guy with little experience over a period of time, so what he is doing is incredible, but he is always live and he is always dangerous.”

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It is believed that Dubois-Wardley 2 will take place before the end of the year, with the clash potentially landing in a stadium.