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🚨 Headline
🏀 Lloyd wants to be released: Perennial WNBA All-Star Jewell Lloyd has requested a trade from the Seattle Storm. The two-time champion was reportedly at the center of complaints of bullying and harassment by the Storm’s coaching staff.
🏈 National Signing Day: College football’s early signing period began Wednesday, and there was no shortage of activity for the 2,025 recruits. According to Rivals, Oregon is currently No. 1, followed by Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Alabama.
⚾️From Korean star to MLB: Kim Hye-sung has been drafted by the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO (Korean Top League). MLB teams have until January 3 to finalize a contract with the 25-year-old second baseman, who batted .326 last year, had 41 extra-base hits and 30 stolen bases.
🏀 Irving Lawsuit: Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving is being sued for allegedly refusing to pay $390,000 for a 150-person family retreat this summer that ended prematurely due to the “tragic death of a participant.” There is.
⚽️ Back to the win column: Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 3-0, ending a seven-game winless streak in all competitions. The four-time reigning champions had not won a Premier League game since October.
🏈 No time to breathe for the Lions, who are 11 wins and 1 loss.
The Lions are 11-1, haven’t lost since mid-September, and have been atop the NFL Power Rankings for the sixth straight week. Typically, teams in that position have some leeway. But for Detroit, there is little margin for error as the schedule switches to Week 14.
From Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports:
In 1999, the Titans went 13-3, but finished second in the division behind the 14-2 Jaguars, giving Tennessee the honor of having the most wins by a wild-card team in NFL history. The 1986 Bears, 1998 Falcons, and 2004 Patriots are the only teams to win 14 games and not earn the No. 1 seed.
This season could be a historic anomaly for the NFC. Typically, when a team like the Detroit Lions is 11-1 and looks like they’re headed for 15 or 16 wins, they don’t have to worry too much about winning a district championship or getting a No. 1 seed. However, the Eagles and Vikings are both 10-2 and may keep the pressure on throughout the season.
Tankasson said the Lions have the third-toughest remaining schedule in the NFL, but that doesn’t help. The Vikings are in fourth place, but one problem for each team is they will play in Detroit in Week 18. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has the 23rd-toughest remaining schedule.
And don’t forget about Green Bay…tonight, the 9-3 Packers face the Lions in a high-stakes NFC North game. If Green Bay wins, Detroit will have another 10-win team in its wake, making the race for the division championship and No. 1 seed even more crowded.
💵 Clerkonomics
Caitlin Clark earned just $100,000 this year playing basketball ($76,535 WNBA base salary plus bonuses), but Sportico’s 2024 calculations show she’s still one of the world’s biggest players. She was the 10th highest paid female athlete.
How is that possible? Of course, it’s an endorsement deal. Thanks to lucrative partnerships with brands like Nike, Gatorade, and State Farm, Clark’s total revenue in 2024 was $11.1 million. This puts her on par with Simone Biles, who has a similar salary and approval rating combination.
The Caitlin Effect: Clark was responsible for 26.5% of the WNBA’s economic activity (attendance, merchandise sales, TV ratings) during the 2024 season, an expert told the Indianapolis Star. That’s crazy. Even crazier? One in every six tickets sold at WNBA arenas last year could be attributed to Clark.
📸 Photo: Hump Day Hoop
For the first time since Dec. 10, 1983, three of the top five AP men’s college basketball teams lost nonconference games on the same night. And this comes a day after unranked Clemson upset No. 4 Kentucky. December madness!
OMAHA, Neb. — Fans flooded the court after unranked Creighton defeated No. 1 Kansas 76-63, handing the Jayhawks their first loss. The Blue Jays defeated the No. 1 team at home for the second consecutive season following last year’s victory over UW.
DURHAM, N.C. — No. 9 Duke defeated No. 2 Auburn 84-78, led by freshmen Cooper Flagg (22 points, 11 rebs) and Isiah Evans (18 points, 6-8 3pts). That was about as good as it got for the ACC, which went 2-14 in this week’s ACC-SEC Challenge. Weft.
STORRS, Conn. — No. 25 UW rallied from an early deficit to defeat No. 15 Baylor 76-72, helping the Big East take a 4-2 lead in the Big East vs. Big 12 battle. At one point, Dan Hurley got so excited that he headbutted his own player.
AMES, Iowa — Keshon Gilbert (24 points, 7 rebounds) and No. 6 Iowa State defeated No. 5 Marquette 81-70 for its 22nd straight win at Hilton Coliseum. Big victory for Cyclone Nation. Now their attention turns to Saturday’s Big 12 title game on the gridiron.
More from Wednesday: In a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16, No. 10 Alabama beats No. 20 UNC 94-79 and Alabama also wins… Unranked Mississippi State beats No. 18 Pitt by 33 points. …Belmont beats Illinois State, 99-97 (OT) on buzzer-beater.
⚽️ Club World Cup 2025: What you need to know
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is still months away, but buzz is building ahead of today’s draw where the 32 participating teams will be divided into groups ahead of the first-of-its-kind event hosted by the United States.
Who is in the field? Club World Cup is modeled after soccer’s actual World Cup, with one important difference. That is, the contestants are top professional clubs (such as Real Madrid) rather than national teams (such as Spain).
Europe (12): Manchester City (England), Chelsea (England), Real Madrid (Spain), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Juventus (Italy), Inter Milan (Italy), PSG (France), Benfica (Portugal), Porto (Portugal), RB Salzburg (Austria)
North America (5): Inter Miami (USA), Seattle Sounders (USA), Monterrey (Mexico), Pachuca (Mexico), Leon (Mexico)
South America (6): Flamengo (Brazil), Palmeiras (Brazil), Fluminense (Brazil), Botafogo (Brazil), River Plate (Argentina), Boca Juniors (Argentina)
Asia (4): Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Ulsan (South Korea), Urawa Reds (Japan), Al Ain (UAE)
Africa (4): Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad (Morocco), Esperance (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Oceania (1): Auckland (New Zealand)
Where will the games be played? The tournament begins on June 15th at Hard Rock Stadium (Miami) and ends on July 13th at MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey), with games at 10 other venues along the way. will be held. The complete schedule should be announced shortly after today’s drawing.
📆 December 5, 1968: Brother Esposito
Fifty-six years ago today, Bruins center Phil Esposito ruined his brother Tony’s NHL debut by scoring twice against a young Canadiens goaltender in a 2-2 tie.
Hall of Fame Brothers: Both Esposito brothers are in the Hockey Hall of Fame and are considered among the greatest players of all time at their positions.
Phil played 18 years with the Bruins, Rangers, and Blackhawks, winning two MVP awards and two Stanley Cups. He was the first NHL player to score over 100 points in a season (1968-69) and one of only four skaters to score 60 points in at least four seasons.
Toney won the Stanley Cup that season with Montreal and spent the remainder of his 16-year career with the Blackhawks. He won three Vezina Trophies (top goalie) and popularized the now ubiquitous “butterfly style” of goaltending.
Original story: The Esposito family spent their childhoods playing hockey together on a backyard rink in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. And, according to Phil, that’s what cemented their future status.
“Tony and I would either play by ourselves or get two other players together to practice shooting. One was the goaltender, the other players would shoot, and the player with the fewest goals would be the one with the fewest goals.” I said, ‘Tony won’t like that,’ but he was always losing, and that’s how he became a goalkeeper. ”
📺 Watchlist: NFC North Showdown
The Lions host the Packers tonight (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime), with Detroit (11-1) looking to extend their 10-game winning streak and Green Bay (9-3) in a tight NFC North race. Aim for.
Wild stat: If the Lions win tonight, they will have more 12-win seasons in the last two years (2) than in the first 93 seasons (1).
Also noteworthy:
🏀 NBA: Nuggets vs. Cavaliers (7 p.m., NBA). Rockets vs. Warriors (10 p.m., NBA)
🏀 NCAAW: No. 14 Kentucky vs. No. 16 North Carolina (5 p.m., ESPN2). No. 4 Texas vs. No. 10 Notre Dame (7 p.m., ESPN). No. 8 Duke vs. No. 3 South Carolina (9 p.m., ESPN)
🏀 NCAAM: Penn State Purdue (6:30pm, FS1)
⚽️ Premier League: Fulham vs. Brighton (2:30pm, Peacock); Bournemouth vs. Tottenham (3:15pm, USA)
⛳️PGA: Hero World Challenge (10:45am, ESPN+, 1:30pm, Golf)…Scottie Scheffler headlines Tiger Woods’ 20-man event in the Bahamas.
🏐 NCAA Volleyball Tournament*: Round 1 (3:30pm-9:30pm, ESPN+) … First 18 games in a 64-team bracket.
*Top seed: Pitt has reached the Final Four three years in a row but has never won and is the No. 1 overall seed. The other No. 1 seeds are Nebraska, Penn State and Louisville.
🏈 College Football Trivia
The four FBS programs that changed conferences this year will compete this weekend for the league championship in their first season.
Question: What are the names of these four programs?
The answer is at the bottom.
🏈 Trade Offer: Fighter Soccer Team
The 2024 NFL trade deadline has passed, but managers could still be involved in a major shakeup, writes Yahoo Sports’ Jack Baer.
Let’s make a deal: Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen lure the Commanders from their current home at Northwest Stadium (formerly FedEx Field) in Landover, Maryland. I proposed a trade that would make this possible.
What D.C. has learned: Maryland senators did not oppose a bill that would allow the district to redevelop the site of RFK Stadium, where the Commanders franchise played from 1961 to 1996.
Maryland gets one of D.C.’s two Air National Guard squadrons (the only one with fighter jets) and a guarantee on what will be built to replace Northwest Stadium I did.
My perspective as a resident of Washington, DC… The Commander-in-Chief belongs in the nation’s capital. I intend to donate a fighter jet for this purpose. And I encourage my fellow Washingtonians to consider donating fighter jets to Maryland.
Trivia answers: Texas (SEC), Oregon (Big 10), Arizona State (Big 12), SMU (ACC)
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