Sports

7:00 AM ET In the last six seasons, five different teams have won the MAC West. The only team that hasn’t, Eastern Michigan, came achingly close in 2018. This division doesn’t quite feature ACC Coastal-level parity, but it’s close. Nearly everybody gets a turn at the top. That makes it awfully hard to project this

9:24 PM ET The 2022 NHL trade deadline has passed. Some teams got better. Some teams didn’t. One team might have made both the best and worst trades of the deadline by itself. Here’s a look at the winners and losers of the 2022 deadline, from the players who controlled their fate to the teams

7:00 AM ET The universal designated hitter is here. A style of baseball that has been a near constant in this nation since 1876 is about to ease into quasi-extinction, save for a few Shohei Ohtani starts on the mound and, perhaps, a smattering of pinch-hit appearances (Madison Bumgarner, Zack Greinke) or pinch-running maneuvers. It’s

6:34 PM ET Trailing by two goals and down a man, Atlanta United FC‘s Thiago Almada and Brooks Lennon each scored late to help the home side rally for a stunning 3-3 draw with CF Montreal on Saturday. Montreal (0-3-1, 1 point) looked to be headed to its first win of the season, but Atlanta

6:55 PM BST Ireland kept the Six Nations championship alive for a few hours at least with a Triple Crown-clinching 26-5 victory over Scotland in Dublin, meaning France must beat England in Paris later on Saturday to win their first championship in 12 years. The host’s more controlled attacking rugby shaded an entertaining first half,

9:00 AM ET The UFC spotlight will fall on its heavyweights over the next two weeks, as four fighters from the division will headline the promotion’s next two events. On Saturday, England’s Tom Aspinall (11-2) will take on Alexander Volkov (34-9) in the main event of UFC Fight Night in London (1 p.m. ET on

2:59 AM ET NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jesse Iwuji credits his Nigerian parents for his discipline and success, which has seen him play D1 college football, serve in the US Navy for seven years, and become co-owner of Jesse Iwuji Motorsports. Lieutenant Commander Iwuji, who will race in the Emmett Smith-co-owned number 34 Chevrolet at

2:33 PM ET Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. — Attorneys for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert argued in a Kentucky court Thursday that a 90-day suspension imposed by the state’s racing commission would essentially end his career. Baffert is asking a judge to delay the suspension for a failed postrace drug test by Medina Spirit

7:59 AM ET Nothing about golf on the PGA Tour has been easy the past few weeks. The Arnold Palmer Invitational was challenging, so much so that Rory McIlroy said he left the event “punch-drunk.” The Players was a marathon that stretched into a Monday thanks to wind and rain that made the tour’s marquee

7:49 AM ET Saturday’s fight card at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden could provide a glimpse of future world champions (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET, with prelims on ESPN+ at 7:10 p.m. ET). The Top Rank card inside one of boxing’s most historic venues features two of the promotional company’s most interesting prospects —

1:48 AM ET MINNEAPOLIS — As fans showered the Minnesota Timberwolves starters with thunderous applause when they exited the game late in a blowout win, Karl-Anthony Towns raised one hand and waved toward the Los Angeles Lakers‘ bench, gesturing by opening and closing his hand several times. There was noticeable trash talking during the Timberwolves’

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff NFL free agency officially starts at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, which coincides with the start of the new league year. But first, we have two days of legal negotiations, when teams and free agents can agree to terms on new deals (and then officially sign them on Wednesday). We’ve already

7:00 AM ET The NHL trade deadline is Monday at 3 p.m. ET. Several contenders are looking to add the final pieces to their Stanley Cup puzzles. Other teams are seeking to capitalize on the value of pending free agents before they walk away. The 2022 deadline is highlighted by the potential availability of a

7:29 AM ET Australian Open champion Rafa Nadal said he felt sorry for Naomi Osaka after she was rattled by a heckler during her second-round loss on Saturday night at Indian Wells, but added that tennis players needed to be ready to deal with adversities. Osaka, who sparked a conversation about mental health in sports

7:00 AM ET Nobody in college football’s upper hierarchy can seem to agree on anything remotely related to playoff expansion, so we’ll do it for them. Truth is we’ve been way ahead of the curve for years. So once again, we’ll count it down from 64 teams (not just four), and that way, just about

4:00 PM ET The trade: Braves acquire 1B Matt Olson from the A’s for CF Cristian Pache, C Shea Langeliers, RHP Ryan Cusick and RHP Joey Estes Baseball is designed to break your heart, former commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti once wrote. Indeed, our favorite players get old, they get waived, they get traded — and

9:45 PM ET Associated Press AVONDALE, Ariz. — Chase Briscoe jumped out of his car and was obviously emotional, kneeling by his No. 14 for a few seconds before a couple of voice cracks during his postrace television interview. The 27-year-old Briscoe took his lumps last season as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie. Now, he’s

8:21 AM ET Lionel Messi and Neymar were subjected to boos and jeers from the Paris Saint-Germain fans in their first game since their dramatic Champions League collapse to Real Madrid on Wednesday. Lining up against Bordeaux in Ligue 1 on Sunday, both players were relentlessly booed by the home supporters and their every touch

8:05 PM GMT TWICKENHAM, London — It took Ireland 70 minutes to finally break England’s resolve. Having been reduced to 14 men after just 82 seconds, England showed incredible defiance to frustrate and bother Ireland and at one stage, it looked like Eddie Jones’ players were going to pull off one of the most remarkable

7:56 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event is a light heavyweight bout between onetime title challenger Thiago Santos and rising contender Magomed Ankalaev. There is a lot of intrigue around this 205-pound matchup, as the division is wide open at the moment. Santos (22-9) is rebuilding from a rough stretch