There have been rumors of a possible rift between Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo for some time. While both singers have been cordial and friendly towards each other, Rodrigo may have led some to believe that there is bad blood between the two.
On Tuesday, Rodrigo liked a social media post from Pitchfork that praised Audrey Hobert for writing and creating music that Swift no longer creates. The post was seen as shade towards the 14-time Grammy winner.
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Swifties were quick to call out Rodrigo for apparently taking a jab, accusing her of trying to create attention for herself.
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“when your music doesn’t sell, just use taylor swift for clout,” one fan proclaimed.
“that’s why she gets no nominations anymore,” said another.
Olivia Rodrigo then reportedly ‘unliked’ the post after facing backlash about liking the post. Fans on social media expressed their feelings on her decision as well.
“im glad she unliked it this means she doesn’t actually hate her,” one person on X said.
One fan went further and said that even though she walked back her original decision, they weren’t on board with the singer.
Taylor Swift showed off new hairstyle at friend’s wedding
Taylor Swift was spotted over the weekend for the first time since she and Travis Kelce got married in July. The singer was spotted leaving an exclusive members-only club in London and then at a friend’s wedding.
Photos of Taylor Swift at Laura Sisk and Oli Jacobs’ wedding showed her debuting a new hairstyle. The singer’s hair was cut a little below the shoulders, a shorter style than she had previously had.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married at Madison Square Garden on July 3. A few weeks later, Kelce reported to training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs to start his 13th NFL season.
The competition is fierce, too, with Olympic champion Cole Hocker also in action and the form from both men will be crucial as the Diamond League Final and Ultimate World Championship draw nearer.
It’s a packed evening of track and field in Poland, with world champion Isaac Nader, European champion Stefan Nillessen and Great Britain’s Jake Heyward joining Hocker and Ingebrigtsen, following his first race back to win gold in the men’s 5,000m at the European Championships.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Julien Alfred, Sha’Carri Richardson are in the star-studded women’s 100m, too.
Here’s everything you need to know about the meet.
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When is the Silesia Diamond League?
The Diamond League event in Silesia will take on place on Sunday 23 August, although the men’s high jump and women’s long jump took place on Saturday 22 August.
How can I watch it?
The BBC has the United Kingdom television rights to every Diamond League meeting, with live coverage of the London Diamond League on BBC Two from 4:10pm BST on Sunday, as well as BBC iPlayer for the earlier events.
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View all results from the Silesia Diamond League here.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway with his medal after winning gold during the Men’s 5000m Final (PA)
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Dollar Tree 301 is at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. This is the 25th race of the season and will feature 36 drivers competing for 301 laps at the 1.058-mile-long track.
Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney is the defending winner of the event. He will start from eighth position on Sunday.
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What time does the NASCAR race start today?
Start Time: 2 pm ET
Date: Sunday, August 23
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How to watch the NASCAR race today? TV channel details
The 2026 Dollar Tree 301 will air on USA Network, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 2 pm ET in the United States. USA Network has broadcasting rights for complete coverage of the season’s New Hampshire event.
UK
Fans in the UK and Ireland can watch the race on Premier Sports at 7 pm BST on August 23 (Sunday).
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Canada
Canadian viewers can catch the action on TSN at 2 pm ET.
India
Indian viewers can watch the race by using a VPN at 11:30 pm IST on Sunday (August 23).
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New Zealand
The action is listed internationally on Sky Sports NZ and will stream at 6 am NZST on Monday, August 24.
Australia
The race will be available on FOX Sports Australia at 4 am AEST on Monday, August 24.
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Sub-Saharan Africa
In Africa, the NASCAR New Hampshire race can be enjoyed on SuperSport at 8 pm CAT on Sunday.
2026 Dollar Tree 301 Live Streaming Options
Live streaming of the 2026 Dollar Tree 301 will be available on USA Network on both Android and iOS devices.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Joe Milton had another good day in his quest to become the Dallas Cowboys’ backup quarterback. Coach Brian Schottenheimer says there’s still work to be done.
The third-year player — who is battling Sam Howell for the No. 2 role behind Dak Prescott — threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score in a second straight impressive preseason effort, sparking the Cowboys to a 34-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night.
“This is long from over,” Schottenheimer said about the backup quarterback competition. “We’re going back to Frisco, thankfully, get a chance to be home and put some more training camp days in. You’ve got to give Joe his credit, he’s played really well the past two games, but we have a lot of confidence in Sam as well.”
Milton finished 9-of-13 passing for 176 yards, connecting on a 53-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Mingo and a 70-yard strike to Camden Brown that set up Milton’s 1-yard touchdown run a play later. The play to Mingo was perfectly executed, with the receiver making a double move before Milton hit him in stride down the left sideline.
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“This game is about to being able to control the RPMs of the football and throw it with different speeds and touches,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s done that at a very high level.”
Dallas built a 24-6 lead by halftime. Jaydon Blue ran for 75 yards on 15 carries.
The 26-year-old Milton was a sixth-round pick by New England in 2024. He played in four regular-season games with Dallas last season, throwing for 183 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Howell completed 7 of 10 passes for 65 yards in the second half, but also threw an interception in the end zone. He started all 17 games with Washington in 2023 and was with Philadelphia last season but didn’t appear in any regular-season games.
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Both teams rested most of their starters.
Arizona’s Gardner Minshew completed 19 of 23 passes for 177 yards, playing the entire first half and the first series of the second half. He’s expected to be Jacoby Brissett’s backup this season.
Dallas defence shines early
Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel picked off Minshew’s pass midway through the first quarter after receiver Simi Fehoko slipped on the route. Revel returned the ball 22 yards to the Arizona 12.
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Three plays later, Milton escaped from the pocket, rolled out to his left and hit Malik Davis for an 8-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.
Revel is in his second season after being drafted by the Cowboys in the third round out of East Carolina in 2025. He played in seven games last year, starting five.
Cowboys rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham also had an early tackle for loss.
Penalty problems for Cardinals
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The Cardinals had two touchdowns called back on the same drive when receiver Rivaldo Fairweather was flagged for a pair of penalties. Fairweather was called for offensive holding on the first play and offensive pass interference on the second.
Arizona had a to settle for a 38-yard field goal from Chad Ryland, which cut the deficit to 14-3.
Later in the first half, the Cardinals were called for a false start at the Dallas 1-yard line. Minshew was sacked on the next play and Ryland kicked a 31-yard field goal.
“It was the culmination of our week — we had a sloppy week of practice,” coach Mike LaFleur said. “I don’t think we’ve practiced really well over the last week since Vegas. There have been individuals who have practiced well, there’s been times where we’ve done good things, but overall it wasn’t good enough.
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“This — tonight — was a summary of that week in general.”
Cardinals safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (ribs) left late in the first quarter after delivering a big hit on Cowboys tight end Zack Kuntz. Taylor-Demerson was called for a personal foul on the play. … Cowboys safety Julius Wood left in the third quarter with a concussion.
WNBA games have often been disrupted by fans throwing s*x toys on the hardwood, with the perpetrators usually never getting caught. However, an offender was finally caught on Friday, as a clip of him being arrested in a Luka Doncic jersey quickly went viral online.
Brick Center shared the video of the suspect’s arrest on X (formerly Twitter) and reported that he was banned from NBA and WNBA games.
“The latest WNBA d*ldo thrower has been arrested and banned from all NBA/WNBA games,” Brick Center captioned the post.
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In the clip, three police officers appeared to be handcuffing the reported suspect, who was donning a white Luka Doncic Lakers jersey. The perpetrator was arrested for disrupting the matchup between the Atlanta Dream and the LA Sparks after throwing a green d*ldo on the court at the Crypto.com Arena.
While the suspect was caught on Friday, this didn’t stop the incident from recurring a day later, with three d*ldos being flung onto the court during the game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Chicago Sky.
Although the practice continues to plague the WNBA, Friday’s arrest represents a step in the right direction, as the man in the Doncic jersey is allegedly the first person to be apprehended for throwing a sex toy onto the court.
Chicago Sky guard slams “men” for throwing d*ldos onto the court during WNBA games
After the game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Chicago Sky was disrupted with three d*ldos being thrown onto the court on Friday, veteran guard Natasha Cloud didn’t hold back while addressing the incident.
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Cloud slammed the act during the post-game interview, claiming that it was usually “men” behind such heinous acts before describing it as the “gayest thing.”
“In most of these occasions, it’s men. And I want you to know that the gayest thing that you can do is go to a s*x shop, buy a d*ldo, come to a women’s game to throw the d*ldo on the court,” Cloud said.
“That is the gayest s*** that I’ve ever heard. So I’m a firm believer in anyone that has so much problem with a certain marginalized group, just come out and say that you’re a part of our marginalized group because that hate is unwarranted. It’s not factual.”
While Cloud criticized the trend of throwing objects onto the court, her decision to single out male fans earned her backlash.
Algerian international striker Amine Gouiri scored a second-half double for Marseille, who powered to a 4-0 victory over Strasbourg in the curtain-raiser for the new Ligue 1 season on Friday evening.
Arsenal kicked off their Premier League title defence in similarly resounding fashion, seeing off promoted side Coventry City 3-0 at home with goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Ødegaard.
Jannik Sinner has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming US Open, with the world number one yet to recover from a knee injury. His rival Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, is set to return from a four-month absence to defend his title in New York.
Alex Lanier is making history for French badminton, having become the country’s first representative to reach the World Championship semi-finals. Ahead of his semi-final against Canada‘s Victor Lai on Saturday, the Normandy native is already guaranteed at least a bronze medal in New Delhi.
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after winning the pole position in the qualifying for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
McLaren driver Lando Norris won pole position for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix, the current world champion pipping Mercedes rivals George Russell and Kimi Antonelli into second and third place.
The British driver set a time of one minute and 11.163 seconds, 0.102 seconds faster than compatriot Russell, to take a critical advantage into the Grand Prix race on Sunday.
“Best lap of my life,” said a pumped-up Norris, who had earlier complained his McLaren was lacking pace after being beaten into third in the sprint race earlier Saturday.
“I just had to commit through everything because I knew how close it was going to be,” added the 26-year-old, who is enjoying a run of good form having won the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break.
Russell had been the quickest driver all weekend but was forced into second place on the grid on the last qualifying lap that was affected by light rain.
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“I was on a very strong lap, to be honest. And then I just had a small oversteer in turn eight” that cost him the vital tenth of a second, said Russell.
World championship leader Antonelli will start from third on the grid, ruing a difficult qualifying session with an error in turn one costing him a few crucial tenths of a second.
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The teenage sensation set the pace in the first half of the season, winning six races, including a stunning run of five consecutive Grand Prix.
But the chasing pack has closed in fast, with McLaren in particular bringing upgrades to their car that have brought them into contention.
“It was a very good wake-up call this weekend that you can never lower your guard,” said Antonelli, who turns 20 next week.
Oscar Piastri, who took the chequered flag last year at Zandvoort, qualified fourth, ahead of the two Ferraris driven by Charles Leclerc and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
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Despite raucous home support, local favourite Max Verstappen was unable to make an impact and will start seventh on the grid.
‘Real fight’
Frome the left, second-placed Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain, first-placed McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain and third-placed Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy stand on the podium after the qualifying for the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Sunday’s race promises to be a nail-biter, with just a few tenths of a second separating the top four or five drivers.
Starting on pole, however, will be a major advantage for Norris.
Since Zandvoort returned to the Grand Prix calendar in 2021, the pole-setter has won every time given the difficulty of overtaking on the unique track.
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“We have a real fight on our hands these days,” said Russell after triumphing in the sprint.
“I think that’s quite fun and that’s how Formula One should be. It shouldn’t just be two teammates going for race wins week in week out. Everybody should be in with a shot,” he added.
Ferrari will also challenge on Sunday. Leclerc overhauled Norris in the sprint and Hamilton will be aiming to take a chunk out of Antonelli’s 53-point championship lead.
McLaren, who have won here for the past two editions, will also be in the mix and it would be a brave punter who rules out four-time world champion Max Verstappen — especially not at his “home” Grand Prix.
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The “orange army” roaring him on will hope he can produce a miracle in his Red Bull that has been off the pace so far this season.
Sunday’s Grand Prix will be the last edition for the Dutch since the Zandvoort circuit.
Despite attracting big crowds eager to see Verstappen, promoters have pulled the plug, saying the financial risks were too great.
Fears that Verstappen, who has made little secret of his dislike of the 2026 regulations, could quit the sport played a part in the decision to pull the plug on Zandvoort.
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But ironically, as the teams were setting up for the last Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen announced he had extended his contract with Red Bull until 2030, guaranteeing his future and Dutch interest in the sport.
In January, BBC Sport highlighted how Manchester City, as a separate entity, has turned selling players nurtured in their academy into big business.
Morgan Rogers, Douglas Luiz, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and Oscar Bobb are among the players developed by City to have been sold on and are now playing, or have played, for rival Premier League sides.
City have recouped more than £250m from selling young players over the past five years alone.
“To find a balance between recruiting players for sporting success and ones that could become more of an asset in the future is difficult,” explained Marwood.
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“One of the hardest bits about signing young players is that you don’t know an awful lot about them but some will come in, adapt, work hard, have ambition and aspiration and go on and have fantastic careers.
“Oleksandr Zinchenko is a prime example. Taty Castellanos is another. So is Jack Harrison.”
Invariably, CFG is not always on point with its talent identification of young talent. Some will make it, some will not. That’s the nature of the player recruitment beast.
The success of Rogers and Palmer, with Aston Villa and Chelsea, has shown that City have sometimes have sold too soon.
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Former Aston Villa forward Rogers was sold by Manchester City to Middlesborough in February 2024 for an initial fee of £8m. Last month Chelsea paid £117m for him.
Palmer – sold by City for £40m in 2023 – would demand a similar fee if he were to leave Stamford Bridge.
But as Savinho takes the next step in his career, City are turning their attentions to the future.
There are high hopes for Ryan McAidoo, an 18-year-old at City who has already made his senior debut for the club.
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Japan’s Shin Miidera, a 16-year-old attacker playing for partner club Yokohama F. Marinos, is another CFG are monitoring very closely.
Then there is 16-year-old American midfielder Cavan Sullivan, who currently plays for MLS club Philadelphia Union, but will join Manchester City when he turns 18.
Vitor Reiss – who spent last season on loan to Girona from City – is tipped to make the grade.
“In an ideal world you would love for them to stay with you from the beginning right through to the very end – but the reality is it’s probably not going to happen,” added Marwood.
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“The challenge is can we produce the next one? OK- Savinho’s gone – but where is the next one? That’s the fascination of this business, you have to look three and four years ahead.
“It’s important we grow this hub of young talent and hopefully find them pathways and produce a conveyor belt of talent and use our network of clubs to aid there development.”
The measure of their success will be judged on the pitch and on the books.
Rory McIlroy hit and hit, following a week where he nearly hit more shots than everyone.
On Monday, McIlroy said he hit at his home in Florida, doing so as longtime swing coach Michael Bannon and caddie Harry Diamond watched. On Tuesday and Wednesday, McIlroy hit on the range at Bellerive Country Club, site of this week’s BMW Championship. Across the two practice days, he hit 313 balls.
No, even six-time major winners aren’t protected from the occasional swing funk. Yes, even McIlroy has to dig himself out of it.
“Yeah, I’ve definitely gotten into some bad habits in my golf swing over the past few months,” McIlroy said Wednesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “Yeah, as you play tournament golf, you start, the golf swing takes a back seat and all you’re really trying to do is hit shots and be visual and be instinctive. But as you do that, you can start to revert back into some bad habits. And I’ve certainly done that this year. …
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“But I spent the day at home in Florida on Monday, worked with my coach, Michael, and Harry, and we definitely, I feel like we’re heading into the right direction. But, yeah, I have this feeling in my golf swing that I just, I need to, I just need to engrain, and I just need to hit a ton of balls while doing it. Whether it be with the head cover under my right arm, or I’ve made a couple of clubs up with different grips to try to feel like where my hands should be halfway back. So I just have to hit a ton of balls to try to get that ingrained.
“That’s what’s hard. It’s hard to do that for three hours on the range and then try to go on the golf course and play like that as well. So I think the more reps I can get on the range, the more comfortable it will end up becoming when I get out on the course.”
All of it seems to have clicked, one week after he finished 66th out of 68 players at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. During Thursday’s first round at the BMW, McIlroy shot a six-under 64, which tied him for the lead. On Friday, he followed up with a 69, and he started Saturday’s third round five strokes back of leader Wyndham Clark.
But back to that quote a few paragraphs earlier. McIlroy has “made a couple of clubs up with different grips?”
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He has. McIlroy said his ideal swing position is for his right hand to be on top of the club halfway back. So he fitted a lob wedge and a 7-iron with a Flat Cat putter grip at a 45-degree angle — and McIlroy said “halfway back, your right hand sits on the flat part of the grip, like on top, like where you would sort of want your grip to be, like where you want your right hand.”
And with that setup, he hit and hit.
“It just helps my right arm work better,” McIlroy said Friday. “Just the structure of it. Then the club gets more supported at the top. And then if I’m there, I feel like I can really hit whatever shot I want.
“So it’s more to help the right arm structure and sort of feel like keeping the right hand like on top of the grip more on the way back.”
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If you’re interested in watching McIlroy’s range session from Thursday, the PGA Tour’s YouTube channel posted a video of it, and you can watch it here.
Creamline Cool Smashers’ Jaja Santiago and Alyssa Valdez during a 2026 PVL on Tour game vs Galeries Tower Highrisers. –PVL PHOTO
VICTORIAS, Negros Occidental — Alyssa Valdez relished her reunion with Jaja Santiago-Minowa, as two of the best volleyball players in the country showed a preview of what they can still do together in Creamline’s triumphant trip to Victorias City.
Four years since they last teamed up for the Philippine national volleyball team, the connection is still there for Valdez and Minowa, as Creamline swept Galeries Tower, 25-21, 25-16, 25-21, to complete a perfect PVL On Tour campaign Saturday night at Victorias City Coliseum here.
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“It honestly feels like we’re young again. We’ve been teammates since high school, then in the pros and with the national team. It’s just really nice that we get to meet again in this lifetime in the professional league,” said Valdez in Filipino, recalling her high school years with Minowa.
In college, Valdez became the face of Ateneo, winning two UAAP titles and three UAAP MVP awards, while Minowa emerged as one of the league’s unstoppable forces, ushering in National University’s rise as a contender.
The Creamline captain has been one of the reliable spikers in the PVL and national team, while Minowa, a Filipino-born Japanese citizen, became a resident import in the Japan SV.League with a championship and two Best Blocker awards.
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“It’s so nice that we’re still fulfilling our dreams together. Being on the same team, especially at Creamline, is a beautiful reminder of why we’re doing this and why we’re here. It’s because of all the teammates we’ve had and everything we’ve learned from them. For me, it’s a wonderful reminder to just keep going and continue supporting everyone,” Valdez said.
Jaja Santiago and the Creamline Cool Smashers during a 2026 PVL on Tour game vs Galeries Tower Highrisers. –PVL PHOTO
They executed a beautiful combination play to end the first set, with Minowa attracting the blockers that led to Valdez’s set-clinching cross-court kill.
The 6-foot-5 middle blocker scored six points, all from kills out of her 13 attempts, while Valdez topscored with 10 points.
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“I’m really happy. It’s overwhelming to play again here in the Philippines, and of course, to be with Ate Ly on the court again. We know she’s one of our leaders, so it’s nice to play without having to worry too much because you know she’s there with you,” said Minowa, who also won two titles with Valdez for PLDT in the Shakey’s V-League 2015 season — PVL’s predecessor.
Valdez is just relieved she no longer has to stop Minowa, who tormented Creamline in the 2021 Open Conference Finals inside the bubble in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.
“Honestly, we keep telling Jaja, ‘Good thing you’re our teammate!’ From her serve to her blocks and attacks, we’re just really happy she’s on our side. It’s also nice to compete against her because we learn so much from her,” said Valdez.
“But it’s completely different when she’s your teammate and she’s leading. Jaja has grown so much—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as a player as well. I’m very, very happy to be with her again and to learn all these things from her. I can’t wait to learn even more from her.”
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With the US-bound Minowa joining the team, Valdez is optimistic that Creamline can handle the high expectations and get on the same page for the Invitationals next week.
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“I think we have to handle it by training harder and, most importantly, training smarter. We really have to communicate because we have new players joining us and they have to adjust to our system. So communication is really important,” she said. “With the expectations surrounding the Invitational, we really have to prepare so we can feel the pressure and execute properly when the tournament starts.”
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