CNN – Sports

By Ben Morse, CNN Are the Golden State Warriors the favorites for this season’s NBA title? Steph Curry believes challenging for the crown is in the squad’s make up. The Bay Area team emphatically beat the superstar-laden Brooklyn Nets 117-99 on Tuesday night behind Curry’s 37 points — a performance which earned “MVP” chants from

By Helen Regan, Nectar Gan and Rhea Mogul, CNN The head of the Women’s Tennis Association has cast doubt on an email claiming to be from Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, saying it only raises further concerns for her safety. China’s state-owned television broadcaster CGTN released the email, purportedly from Peng, in the early hours

By Don Riddell and George Ramsay, CNN Every sports team has an expectation to succeed, but few do like the All Blacks. The burden of public opinion — as well as the high standards set by the players themselves — can weigh heavily on those representing New Zealand’s rugby team, the top-ranked side in the

By Ben Church, CNN There’s David against Goliath, and then there’s this. San Marino, officially the lowest-ranked football nation in the world, was thrashed 10-0 by a ruthless England side in a World Cup qualifying match on Monday. The disparity between both sides was obvious even before a ball was kicked. Gareth Southgate’s England side

By Amy Woodyatt and Becky Thompson, CNN Former cricketer Azeem Rafiq has spoken to UK lawmakers about his calls for disciplinary action to be taken by Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) following an investigation that found he had been subjected to racial harassment and bullying. After a turbulent month which has brought to light multiple

By Seán Federico-O’Murchú Julio Lugo, the Dominican-born shortstop who played for seven major league teams and won a World Series ring with the Boston Red Sox, has died, his former team said Monday. In a tweet, the Red Sox offered condolences to the Lugo family. No cause of death was given for Lugo, who would

By David Close, CNN The Ottawa Senators’ season has been halted for at least a week due to a Covid-19 outbreak within the team. The National Hockey League postponed the Senators’ next three games due to “evidence of continued spread” of the novel coronavirus, the league said Monday. Ahead of their 4-0 loss to the

By Ross Levitt, CNN The Irish rugby union team has friends in high places. In a video call from Camp David on Saturday, US President Joe Biden congratulated the team on its stunning 29-20 win over New Zealand’s All Blacks on Saturday, where the team emerged victorious at the Aviva Stadium’s first full crowd in

By Ben Church, CNN Lewis Hamilton produced one of the greatest performances of his career to hunt down Formula One title rival Max Verstappen and win an action-packed Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday. The dramatic victory ensured the seven-time world champion slashed his Red Bull rival’s championship lead to just 14 points, throwing the

By Ben Morse, CNN Goals from Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie gave the US a vital 2-0 victory against Mexico on Friday in the race to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In front of a sellout crowd of 26,000 in Cincinnati, Pulisic headed home in the 74th minute soon after coming off the

By Rhea Mogul and Esha Mitra, CNN A 23-year-old man has been arrested in India for allegedly threatening to rape the infant daughter of the country’s cricket captain, Virat Kohli, as team members face a barrage of online abuse following their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. The man was arrested in the southern city of

By Jack Bantock, CNN It’s a top versus bottom affair on Thursday Night Football this week, as the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens (6-2) seek to keep their momentum with a win on the road against the struggling Miami Dolphins (2-7), rooted bottom of the AFC East. Yet both teams will run out at the Hard

By Wayne Sterling, CNN A former girlfriend of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook has accused him of assault, battery and false imprisonment related to an altercation that allegedly occurred at his Minnesota home nearly a year ago, to which Cook claimed on Wednesday he was the one who was assaulted. Cook’s former girlfriend, Gracelyn

By David Close, CNN A Minnesota Vikings player was rushed to an emergency room after experiencing shortness of breath from Covid-19, according to Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. “It was scary,” Zimmer said, speaking to the media during the team’s regularly scheduled press availability on Wednesday. Multiple outlets, including ESPN and NFL.com, reported the player

By Ben Morse, CNN The Cleveland Browns’ backfield could be severely depleted for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, with just one active running back available. Superstar Nick Chubb and Demetric Felton have been placed on the team’s reserve/Covid-19 list, the team announced. The NFL reported that both backs are vaccinated so there is

By Jack Bantock, CNN The Pittsburgh Steelers survived a late Chicago Bears comeback attempt to chalk up a fourth successive win with a 29-27 victory on a Monday Night Football marked by a highly controversial penalty call. A series of contentious flags marked a game that — at 20-6 in the third quarter — had

By Ben Morse, CNN The quarterback is the most important position in the NFL, tasked with orchestrating the offense in the search of touchdowns and winning games. So when your star signal caller is absent, it is perhaps unsurprising your team might struggle. That has been the case for both the Seattle Seahawks and the

By Susannah Cullinane, CNN Kyle Larson has won the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship, claiming the trophy after 312 laps of the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, on Sunday. Larson, 29, is the only Asian American to race full-time in NASCAR, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He made the playoffs 2016-2019 while

By Theresa Waldrop and Wayne Sterling, CNN Runners from Kenya prevailed in the New York City Marathon Sunday, with Albert Korir winning the men’s race, and Peres Jepchirchir taking the women’s competition. Korir, who came in second in the 2019 race, finished in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 22 seconds, and Jepchirchir came in at

By Kevin Dotson, CNN As Week 9 of the NFL season gets underway, here are five things to look out for in the upcoming games. Green Bay Packers travel to hostile Arrowhead Stadium without QB Aaron Rodgers With Covid-19 positive (and unvaccinated) quarterback Aaron Rodgers watching from home, the Green Bay Packers will visit the

By Christina Kline, CNN Drivers will start their engines one last time for the 2021 NASCAR season on Sunday. The Cup Series Championship will see the top four drivers race to the finish line for the chance to hoist the Cup Series trophy. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the green flag. Where

By George Ramsay, CNN Novak Djokovic made tennis history on Saturday as he secured his place as the year-end world No. 1 for the record seventh time. With his 3-6 6-0 7-6 victory over Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals of the Paris Masters, Djokovic moves clear of Pete Sampras, who finished the year as world

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN After the pandemic scuppered last year’s New York City Marathon, one of the world’s most prestigious and hotly anticipated running events is set to return on Sunday. Last year’s race was meant to mark an extra special milestone — it would have been the 50th running of the iconic competition. But

By George Ramsay Barcelona squandered a three-goal league lead against Celta Vigo on Saturday as the club’s disappointing form continued. Goals from Ansu Fati, Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay gave Barcelona a 3-0 advantage at halftime, but Celta responded in the second half through Iago Aspas and Nolito, before Aspas’ equalizer in added time saw

By Ben Morse, CNN Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss his team’s trip to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday due to Covid-19 protocols. On Friday while appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers said he had contracted Covid-19 and that he is unvaccinated against the virus — a revelation that has

By Brenley Goertzen, for CNN On the final day of the Tokyo Olympics, Abdi Nageeye reminded the world what the Games are all about with his unforgettable silver medal marathon performance. In the dying stages of the men’s race, Nageeye of the Netherlands cheered and encouraged his exhausted Belgian training partner Bashir Abdi. The gesture

By Travis Caldwell and Jack Bantock, CNN Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defeated Colby Covington by unanimous decision early Sunday at UFC 268 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts, Usman’s strong takedown defense staved off Covington’s challenges in the early rounds. A bloodied Covington rallied

By George Ramsay, CNN Manchester United slumped to a fourth defeat of the Premier League season at Old Trafford on Saturday, going down 2-0 against rival Manchester City. Both of the game’s goals — an own goal from defender Eric Bailly, before Bernardo Silva turned in a cross on the stroke of halftime — came

By George Ramsay, CNN The New York City Marathon returns on Sunday following a two-year hiatus, and at the front of the field, legendary distance runner Kenenisa Bekele is primed to “make more history” in his storied career. Bekele, a three-time Olympic gold medalist over 5,000 and 10,000 meters, is the headline name competing in

By Aleks Klosok and Kevin Dotson, CNN Barcelona has announced the appointment of club legend Xavi Hernández as the club’s new coach on a deal that includes the remainder of the current season plus two additional seasons. He replaces Ronald Koeman, who was sacked last month following a dismal start to the season. The club

By David Close, CNN The NBA and WNBA have hired a law firm to investigate allegations in an expansive ESPN report that Phoenix Suns and Mercury managing partner Robert Sarver used racist and sexist language for years. NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement that New York-based Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which investigated

By Jacob Lev, CNN Green Bay Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers will sit out Sunday’s road game against the Kansas City Chiefs due to Covid-19 protocols, according to his team. Head coach Matt LaFleur on Wednesday wouldn’t confirm if Rodgers tested positive for the virus or give his vaccination status. LaFleur told reporters that last

by Jacob Lev, CNN Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss Sunday’s road game against the Kansas City Chiefs due to Covid-19 protocols, the team’s head coach Matt LaFleur announced Wednesday. LaFleur wouldn’t confirm if Rodgers tested positive for the virus or his vaccination status. While meeting the media, LaFleur would say only

By Jack Bantock. CNN The Atlanta Braves are just one victory away from clinching a first World Series in 26 years tonight but must overcome the rejuvenated Houston Astros and home advantage as the matchup shifts to Minute Maid Park. Seeking their first championship since 1995, the Braves looked set to have it wrapped in

By Ben Church, CNN The Kansas City Chiefs dug deep to complete a hard-fought comeback against the New York Giants on Monday, improving to 4-4 this season. Harrison Butker kicked a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter to lift the Chiefs to a 20-17 win, their first victory over the Giants since 2013.

By Ben Church, CNN It feels like, in the regular season at least, that the New Orleans Saints have Tom Brady’s number. The legendary quarterback has now lost his last three regular season games against New Orleans since his move to Florida after the Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-27 on Sunday. Brady, who

By Ben Church and Jason Kurtz, CNN The Atlanta Braves are now just one win away from the franchise’s first MLB championship since 1995, after winning Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday. Highlighted by back-to-back 7th inning home runs from shortstop Dansby Swanson and a pinch-hitting Jorge Soler, the Braves edged the visiting

By Ben Church, CNN Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero was taken to hospital for a ‘cardiac exam’ after suffering chest pain and dizziness during his side’s 1-1 draw with Alaves on Saturday. The 33-year-old was treated on the pitch after he was seen holding his chest just moments before half-time and was subsequently replaced during the

By Jeevan Ravindran, CNN India cricket captain Virat Kohli has criticized the “spineless people on social media” who attacked the team’s bowler Mohammed Shami over his religion following the team’s loss to Pakistan in a T20 World Cup match. “To me, attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing that a human being

By Ben Morse and Susannah Cullinane, CNN Glover Teixeira of Brazil defeated Jan Blachowicz of Poland in a light heavyweight title bout at UFC 267 Saturday at the Octagon on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The 42-year-old Teixeira, who holds the UFC all-time records for most submissions and finishes in the light heavyweight division, was expected

By Ben Morse, CNN UFC 267 is looking to be must-see viewing for fight fans. The event, taking place on Saturday, will see two huge title fights take place in the Octagon on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, which are sure to have huge consequences. In the main event, current UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz

By Steve Almasy, CNN The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association said Friday the league has agreed to meet all the players demands for cultural changes and transparency following allegations of sexual misconduct that rattled the league earlier this month. Friday’s announcement follows NWSL interim CEO Marla Messing pledging the league would address the eight

By Ben Church, CNN The NAACP sent an open letter to five players’ unions on Thursday, urging their athletes not to sign with teams in Texas. “Over the past few months, legislators in Texas have passed archaic policies, disguised as laws, that directly violate privacy rights and a woman’s freedom to choose, restrict access to

By Aleks Klosok, CNN David Henderson, who organized the flight that crashed and left soccer player Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson dead, has been found guilty of endangering the safety of the aircraft, Cardiff Crown Court confirmed to CNN on Thursday. Sala and pilot David Ibbotson were traveling from France to Wales after Cardiff